Another Life
by stella-pegasi
Summary: Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?
1. Chapter 1 The Quest

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for over five years but what SGA-1 finds is trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well and helps him survive. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **This story was written for an Easter 2010 Fic Exchange in the _sheppardhcchallenges_ community on LiveJournal. I was assigned a prompt by a community member, sterenyk_strey and based on that prompt, here's the story. As per my usual mode of operation, I wrote a lot. This story is seven chapters plus an epilogue long and I will post it in increments of two chapters per day. Hope you enjoy and always, let me know the good and the bad.

FYI…I have an alternate universe dream sequence in this story, which should be fairly easy to pick…it is in italics. However, sometimes doesn't cooperate with formatting so if there is any confusion, my apologies in advance.

**Another Life**

_By stella_pegasi_

**CHAPTER ONE: THE QUEST**

Colonel John Sheppard and his team stepped through the stargate on third planet they had visited since they began their quest. Chasing leads wasn't Sheppard's favorite pastime but this time he was looking for a Marine who went missing the first year they were on Atlantis. He needed to know if the Marine was really alive.

"Sheppard, do you think this is wise? I mean, we don't have any way of knowing if that last idiot we talked to even knew what he was talking about." Dr. Rodney McKay had been attempting to talk Sheppard out of continuing to look for Marine Sergeant Leonard 'Lee' Strayer.

"Look, McKay, I am going to find him; Lieutenant Vickers was positive that he saw Strayer. I want to either find him or find proof that he's dead. I need to give his family closure." Sheppard walked ahead of his teammates.

Ronon and Teyla both stopped next to Rodney, Teyla spoke in a low tone so that the colonel would not hear her, "Dr. McKay, we must let John do this, you know he cannot deal with not knowing what has happened to one of his command. So, we will continue to follow leads until there are no more to follow."

McKay knew Teyla was right but he was not feeling good about this mission, maybe he was developing some of Sheppard renowned 'spidy sense' but whatever the reason he didn't want to continue. Reluctantly, he followed his teammates as they walked toward town.

Sheppard had stayed a bit ahead of them as if he really didn't want to talk to anyone. Once they entered the small town, he scouted out the location of the local bar and waited for the other three to catch up with him.

"OK, let's do this." He said and they all walked into the crowded bar.

It was near dark and the bar was filling up fast as workers from the town and those who worked in the fields were straggling in for a drink. The bar was like the others they had visited, heavy wood tables and chairs, grimy windows, the smell of whatever alcoholic beverage they sold mixed with the smell of bodies that had worked all day and other acrid smells from bad sanitation. Rodney was tired of trying to hold his nose without actually holding it; the smells seemed to get worse with each bar they entered. He really hoped that Sheppard would decide to return to Atlantis soon.

As with the last two establishments they had entered on the last two planets, the locals stared at them in a less than welcoming way while looking at Teyla with more than a passing interest. Ronon kept his eye on Sheppard and McKay but stayed close to Teyla. He figured there was less of a chance that anyone would make a move on Teyla if he were nearby.

The bartender looked up as Sheppard leaned on the bar and grunted more than spoke to the colonel, "What ya need?"

"Information," Sheppard laid a picture of Sgt. Strayer on the bar, "have you seen this man before."

The bartender looked at the picture, "Yeah, I seen him, comes in here once or twice a month, was here yesterday. Don't look like anymore, hair's longer but he got that scar."

"Do you know where I could find him?"

Grunting again, the bartender glared, "No…now do ya want a drink or not?" Sheppard shook his head no and walked over to the team.

"The bartender recognized him from the scar, he was here yesterday. We need to ask around." Sheppard took off to talk to other patrons; the other three looked at each other and did the same.  
Other than a few off-color remarks to Teyla, they learned nothing. Finally Sheppard motioned for them to walk outside.

"No one else seemed to see anything; it's getting late but some of these shops might still be open. I'm gonna go look for a town official. Meet me back here in thirty minutes." Sheppard walked away before anyone could protest.

None of them noticed the two men who slipped out of the bar behind them and headed toward the edge of town where the stargate was located.

* * *

It was completely dark by the time they met up in front of the bar and no one had discovered any more information about Strayer. Sheppard was quiet and Teyla and Ronon exchanged glances knowing that he was quite upset to get this close to possibly finding the sergeant only to see the trail go cold.

McKay was looking nervously at Sheppard and then at Teyla and Ronon; he wanted to return to Atlantis but was afraid to bring it up. Ronon was pretty sure he knew what McKay wanted to ask, so he asked for him.

"So, Sheppard, what now, back to Atlantis?"

Sheppard turned around, looking at the big Satendan and said, "No, there's an inn down the street, we can stay there tonight." He started walking away and without a word, his team followed.

The inn was located on a side street and as they turned down the dusty, darkened street, a buzzing noise reached them. Whirling around to look behind them, they were hit by weapons fire, yellow energy discharges that dropped them in seconds. Several men crowded around them and picked up the colonel, McKay and Teyla, leaving Ronon lying on the ground.

"What about him?" One of the kidnappers asked of the leader with them.

"King Leonard doesn't remember him, he only wants the traitors. Leave that one; we will be long gone before he wakes."

The men didn't realize that Ronon had only been dazed by the weapon. He could hear them and as they were heading for the gate he struggled up and followed them. He was having a difficult time keeping up but he managed to keep them in sight. When they reached the gate, Ronon watched the leader dial the gate and the group carrying his team mates disappear into the event horizon. Without a thought, Ronon ran through the shimmering puddle before the gate shut down.

Exiting the gate, Ronon grunted as he rolled across rough ground but the group carrying his team didn't hear him over the sound of the gate disengaging. He quickly jumped up and followed as closely as he dared.

* * *

After twenty minutes, the kidnappers arrived at a small dilapidated village. The village consisted of a few stone buildings and several smaller wooden structures. They headed for the largest of the stone buildings; a two story structure located in the center of the village on the northern edge of a large square. Standing in the middle of the square was a wooden platform with four tall wood poles about a foot in diameter sitting in the center. Ronon was fairly certain the poles were not for decoration.

From where he was hiding, he could see straight down the center hallway toward a double door. The kidnappers carried Sheppard, Teyla and McKay through the doorway. Skirting around to the left side of the building near the Ronon found an open window and taking a chance, he peeked into the room.

His teammates had been thrown onto the plank floor in front of a platform that held a large overstuffed chair and sitting in the chair was Sergeant Lee Strayer. The sergeant was heavier than in the picture that Ronon had seen but it was definitely him, the deep scar across his right cheek positive proof. He was dressed in clothing made from very opulent fabrics, a heavy cape around his shoulders and some sort of metal crown on his head. Ronon ducked below the open window when Strayer rose from the chair.

"Ivo, you did well. I have wanted a chance for revenge on Major Sheppard. He has many things to pay for. And you have brought me the arrogant Dr. McKay and the beautiful Teyla. The only other Atlantian I would love to have is Dr. Weir. Perhaps when I am done with these, I will bring Weir here for a little fun and games before she suffers the same fate as Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay."

Ivo bent at the waist, as Strayer descended the four steps to the floor, and replied, "Thank you, your majesty; we are all here to serve you. One point, sire, the one you call Major Sheppard, he is now called Colonel Sheppard. I thought you would want to know, sire."

Strayer looked at Ivo and then walked over to Sheppard. "Colonel, is it? My, my, the Air Force will promote anyone, even someone who killed their CO to get the promotion." He bent down and pulled Sheppard's face toward him, "You will pay, pretty boy."

Standing up, Strayer kicked Sheppard four times in the gut, then once in the back for good measure. Next he walked past McKay and kicked him in the gut twice and then he approached Teyla. Bending down, he ran his hand over her face and neck and smiled and quietly said to himself, "Still following Sheppard around; well, we'll see what you think about what I do to him."

He stood up, "Guards, take them to the prison and throw them in together in a cell but rough them up first. Just don't do too much damage to the woman. I'll take care of her." He strode out of the hallway, his long velvet cape trailing behind him.

Ronon waited until the guards had taken his teammates out of the main building, across the wide square, and into another stone building. He made his way around several of the buildings to stay out of sight. By the time he got circled back to the building housing the cells and found a window to look in, Sheppard, McKay, and Teyla, still unconscious, had been tied to rings that were attached to a beam above their heads. They were in a large room that was lined with cells on two sides and Ronon could see a staircase in the corner that led to a lower level.

All three Atlantians had been stripped of their vests, jackets and boots, and were clad only in their t-shirts and pants. Two large men were wrapping tape around their hands and once done, they both approached the trio. They began striking Sheppard and McKay over and over, setting the two men spinning. It became almost sport for them as they struck out at a new spot on the Atlantians with each spin. After a few minutes, one broke off hitting McKay and walked over to Teyla.

"Ah…this one is pretty and it will be a shame to mar this face but I will," and he hauled off and hit Teyla in the jaw, spinning her faster than the two men had twirled around. The guard hit her a few times in the abdomen, hips and back, and then stopped.

A short, gray-haired man who appeared to be in charge spoke, "That's enough, untie them and take them to the lower chamber. Put water and bread in with them, the sire wants them alive, for now."

Ronon was torn, he knew he needed to get back to Atlantis for help but he didn't know the planet's gate address and he had lost his radio when he rolled through the gate. He was going to have to go it alone and see if he could find out where he was or rescue his teammates on his own. That he knew was not going to be easy.

* * *

McKay regained consciousness first; he was disoriented and in a lot of pain and he couldn't see anything. Panicking for a second, he thought he was blind but his eyes began to adjust to the dim light coming from a nearby sconce and he realized that it was still night. Then he panicked a second time when he wondered where the rest of the team was; reaching out along the floor, his had touched something, a leg, a skinny leg, it had to be Sheppard.

"Sheppard, Sheppard," he was crawling toward him as he called for him, "Shep…"

"Rodney…" a shaky voice came from his left, Teyla's voice. Rodney crawled to her.

"Teyla, I'm here." He reached her and in the dim light, could just make out her face. He could see a dark line from her nose and out of the corner of her mouth…blood. "You're hurt."

"Yes…but not too badly. You…?"

"Yeah…been beat up but don't remember anything. Sheppard's over there and he's still out."

Teyla rolled onto her side toward Sheppard, "John, John…can you hear me?" No sound came from the colonel; Teyla rolled over on her stomach to crawl toward him, grimacing from the bruises on her abdomen.

"Rodney, where's Ronon?"

Rodney rose up to look around the cell but couldn't see any other dark shapes. "He's not here."

Teyla reached Sheppard and with trembling fingers she touched his neck, checking for a pulse. She let out the breath she was holding, "He's alive; his pulse is strong. What happened to us, Rodney?"

Rodney laid his head on his arm, "I don't know, Teyla. I remember walking to…uh…the inn and then some kind of flash."

"I wonder…where Ronon is; do you think he might have…gotten away?"

Rodney was quiet, "I hope so," but he was also afraid of a worse outcome for Ronon, he just wasn't going to verbalize that worry to Teyla.

Rodney kicked something and he soon found the metal water pitcher and a loaf of bread. "Well at least they…don't want us to starve." He handed the pitcher of water to Teyla and then the bread. They ate in silence, keeping an eye on Sheppard before they dozed off to sleep again.

* * *

Ronon spent the night in a shed near the prison building. Earlier he had backtracked a bit to a larger road he remembered branching off the road the kidnappers had taken; following the wider road he came across another, larger, village. Locating a small store that sold food, he had helped himself to a loaf of bread, cheese and fruit and a bottle of what turned out to be a fermented fruit drink. Once he procured food, throwing the items into a leather satchel he found in the store, he returned to the smaller village. He scouted for a safe location to rest, found the shed and tried to get a few hours sleep.

It was nearly dawn when Ronon left the shed, looking for a perch from where he could watch both the main building and the prison yet stay out of sight. There was a decaying stone building on the western edge of the square and he was able to climb to the roof and hide behind the still intact stone chimney. As the sun rose, he watched as several men left smaller buildings that sat outside the main square area and head to one building where smoke was rising from a chimney; he suspected it was their mess hall.

From his vantage point, he spotted a large two-story dwelling built of stone that appeared to be a residence. The building was larger than the other outlying buildings and he suspected that it might be where Strayer slept. He decided he needed to keep an eye on that building, wanting to find out as much as he could about the errant Marine.

As more and more men appeared, Ronon became increasingly frustrated. There were simply too many of them for him to take care of and rescue his teammates. He knew he was going to have to get back to Atlantis but he wanted to scout the area so that they would know what they were up against. He just hope that his friends had enough time for him to get the intel, find out where they were, return to Atlantis, and bring help. Meanwhile, he was just going to wait.

* * *

McKay was sitting up, his back against the cold stone wall. The interior of the cell was damp from the morning mist and he was hurting more than he had when he had awakened earlier. He wanted to stretch out his legs to relax the muscles but he was cramping too badly to try.

His teammates were sleeping; Sheppard had finally awakened during the night and Teyla had gotten him to drink some water but he wouldn't eat anything. He fell asleep again almost immediately, never even asking what had happened to them.

Sounds were coming from outside and as it got brighter, McKay could hear movement inside the prison and assumed they were not going to be left alone for long. He had closed his eyes when he heard a low groan.

"Sheppard, you awake."

'Yeah…um 'wake." He rolled a bit on his right side and winced; he had taken a really heavy hit to his right shoulder and it was deeply bruised.

"Help me…" reaching out his hand to McKay, "wanna sit…up."

Rodney crawled over to Sheppard and helped him sit up, putting the colonel's back against the wall. Scooting over to the water pitcher, Rodney grabbed the pitcher and brought it to the colonel.

"Here, drink this." McKay held the pitcher up to Sheppard's mouth. Taking a couple of swallows, the colonel slightly choked on the second sip and nearly coughed up the water.

'Nah…" Sheppard batted McKay's arm away and leaned his head against the wall. "Wha' happened?"

"Don't know, haven't seen anyone. Teyla and I think…we got hit by a stunner in the village but we don't know…where we are."

Sheppard opened his eyes and in the brightening daylight, he could see Teyla and he pointed to her. "Teyla…OK?" Rodney answered yes and then Sheppard realized that Ronon was not with them. "Ronon?"

"Don't know."

They could hear footsteps coming down the stairs and Sheppard told Rodney to wake Teyla. As she responded to Rodney's voice, three guards appeared at the cell door.

"Well, our little lovelies are awake; let's get them to his majesty." They unlocked the door and roughly pulled the three Atlantians up and forced them out of the prison to the main building.

When they arrived in the large hall of the main building, the guards held the three upright as the double door to the rear of the room opened and a man in a long red robe with a metal crown on his head entered. He kept his head down as he walked up the steps to the chair sitting on the wooden platform. Once he was seated, he looked up and was overjoyed at the shock that registered on the now 'Colonel' Sheppard's face.

"On your knees in the presence of the sire," the guards commanded them. When they didn't immediately comply, the guards pushed all three to their knees on the rough wooden floor.

"Didn't expect to see me again did you, major…or should I say, Colonel Sheppard? I see that you are also surprised, Dr. McKay and the lovely Teyla…wouldn't give me the time of day when I was on Atlantis but you sure followed Sheppard everywhere didn't you."

"Strayer? We came…looking for you, get you home; why the hell…are…you doing…this to us?" Sheppard struggled to get free from the guard holding him but he only succeeded in receiving a kick to his lower back for his efforts.

Strayer laughed, "You came to take me home? It's been over five years since my team was ambushed; you're a little late, don't you think?" He stood up and paced back and forth on the platform for a few moments and then abruptly sat down on his 'throne'.

Sheppard took a deep breath. "Sergeant, after we found…the bodies of your teammates, we looked…for you, we never…stopped looking for you. I gave standing orders," he stopped to take a breath, "to all teams…to stay on the look out for you."

"You gave standing orders, colonel? You wouldn't have been giving the orders if you hadn't killed Colonel Sumner; got what you wanted didn't you, Major Sheppard? Cushy little gig with Weir and the lovely Ms. Emmagan to play with and Marines to order around at your whim. I know you, you are an Air Force lightweight, a traitor, and you are going to get what you deserve."

"You are wrong, sergeant." Teyla's voice was angry; she was fighting to remain in control. "Colonel Sheppard did not kill Sumner, the Wraith did; he was…withered and nearly dead when he told Sheppard to end the pain for him. He has…tried to find you on his own many times. You are wrong."

"Do not call me sergeant; that man doesn't exit any longer. I am His Majesty, King Leonard and you will address me as such." He quickly descended the stairs and grabbed Teyla by the hair, "Defend him if you wish, but it will only make things worse for him," he kneeled down next to her, "and for you." He kissed her roughly and then brutally slapped her across the face. She would have fallen but the guard holding her kept her upright.

Sheppard tried to get to him but he was hit in the jaw by one of the guards and fell sideways to the floor. McKay started yelling at Strayer.

"You bastard, stop it; we only wanted to find you," McKay was breathing hard, "to find you and let your family get closure or…" McKay stopped when Strayer backhanded him.

"Shut up you whinny little arrogant know it all. You think you are so much better than the Marines…you and you little puny scientists. You get all the glory and we die."

Strayer stood up and tried to take a regal pose, he climbed the steps to his chair, turned and sat down. He glared at Sheppard for a moment and then looked at a short, grey-haired man standing on the floor at the corner of the platform. "Doulis, you know what to do. Take them to the square. I will be there shortly."


	2. Chapter 2 The King

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Two 3858

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for over five years but what SGA-1 finds is trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well and helps him survive. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **This story was written for an Easter 2010 Fic Exchange in the _sheppardhcchallenges_ community on LiveJournal. I was assigned a prompt by a community member, sterenyk_strey and based on that prompt, here's the story. As per my usual mode of operation, I wrote a lot. This story is seven chapters plus an epilogue long and I will post it in increments of two chapters per day. Hope you enjoy and always, let me know the good and the bad.

FYI…I have an alternate universe dream sequence in this story, which should be fairly easy to pick…it is in italics. However, sometimes doesn't cooperate with formatting so if there is any confusion, my apologies in advance.

**CHAPTER TWO: THE KING**Anxiety had been building in Ronon since he saw a couple of the guards bring new ropes and a trunk onto the wooden platform in the center of the small square. He knew that all that preparation was for his friends.

The doors to the main hall opened and Ronon waited impatiently to see who was leaving the building. As his teammates emerged it was as Ronon had feared, the guards took them directly to the wooden platform. Moving to the other side of the chimney, he crouched behind the stone cylinder, resisting the urge to start blasting all of the thugs he could.

The guards tied Teyla hands and then hung her wrists hung above her head on a hook fastened to one of the wooden poles. Then they ripped the t-shirts off of Rodney and Sheppard, bound their hands and hung them over hooks on two of the other poles. As all but two of the guards left the platform, Strayer walked out of the main hall and climbed the wood steps onto the platform. The two guards bowed to him and then one reached into the chest and brought out a whip which he presented to Strayer. The self-proclaimed king unhooked his robe and threw it to the wooden floor where the other guard immediately picked it up as if the robe was precious. Strayer cracked the whip as he paced back and forth in front of Sheppard and McKay.

"Sergeant, please do not do this…Colonel Sheppard tried to find you, we only wanted to find you and get you home." Teyla was pleading with Strayer. "Do not hurt them…"

Strayer walked over to her, "Oh, how sweet, I am touched; you don't want me to hurt your precious Sheppard and what is this, you even care about the great Dr. McKay?" He caressed her face with his fingers and then slipped his hand around the back of her head, pulling her to him, kissing her. When he released her, her eyes were flashing and she spat in his face.

As he wiped his face, he leaned close to her, "You little bitch, you will pay for that and so will they." Strayer slapped her across her lower face; her head lolling to the side, a small trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. Strayer rubbed his thumb across the blood, smearing it across her lips.

He then turned to Dr. McKay who was watching him intently, fear in his eyes but he was trying to remain calm. Strayer stood in front of him, cracking the whip and then twirling it, letting the tip hit McKay's ankles.

"Damn it, Strayer, your…problem is with me…let them go." Sheppard voice was low, his breathing shallow but his eyes were dark and intense.

"Let them go? You're right, colonel, my focus is with you but I can't let your friends go. I can hurt you not only by giving you a taste of the whip but I can make you watch as I break their tender skin wide open, making them bleed and suffer exquisite pain. In fact, I think Dr. McKay will go first."

"Strayer, stop…don't do it," Sheppard was pleading but Strayer raised the whip and brought it down on McKay's chest.

McKay attempted to take the strike of the whip in silence but he couldn't prevent a whimper from escaping his lips. Another lash, then another struck McKay and he gave up all pretense of being brave; screaming with each blow, bright red rivulets of blood beginning to trail down his body. Sheppard struggled to loosen his bindings, his legs kicking out at Strayer; Teyla continued to yell for Strayer to stop. Striking Rodney two more times across the back, the 'sire' stopped, cracking the whip against the wooden deck again.

The sergeant's eyes found Teyla's, "Are you enjoying this, my little Athosian? If not, perhaps you will enjoy this." Smiling at her, Teyla could see the maniacal look in his eyes and she felt a cold shiver run down her spine; there would be no reasoning with Strayer, he was no longer sane.

Sheppard raised his head as Strayer approached him, "Why…didn't you…contact Atlantis? This didn't…have to 'appen."

"This didn't have to happen? No _colonel_, this wouldn't be happening if you had not been in command. My team was green; we didn't know what we were up against. We were trusting and let the slavers get the drop on us. My teammates fought back bravely but we were outnumbered and they died. I was injured and the men who murdered my teammates, they decided to patch me up so that they could salvage something. They kept me drugged so I couldn't fight them and once I was healed they sold me to a mining operation on Tacner."

Strayer began to pace, "For three long years, I slaved in that mine, watched men and women die from cave-ins, thirst, constant beatings. I worked hard in that mine, thinkin' that would keep me from being beaten but they beat me anyway, just for sport." He walked up and put his face inches from Sheppard's, "The Marines would have been proud of me, I became a 'gladiator' of sorts. I fought other slaves owned by other mine companies and I won and made my owners rich. Still I had to work the mines and still they beat me, whipped me. You deserve no less…"

With that, Strayer moved away from Sheppard and began to strike him; over the next few minutes, he struck the colonel again and again and again. He could hear Teyla screaming at him to stop but he kept flailing the lash until Sheppard's torso, neck and face were crisscrossed with thin trails of dripping blood.

When he finished, he walked to Teyla, who glared at him with a hatred she had not felt in a very long time. He cupped her chin, tilting her head toward him, "Well, my pretty, let's see who thinks the colonel is handsome now that he has a scar like mine on his face. Will you still follow the handsome colonel, Teyla?" She jerked her head away from his hand.

"You will pay for what you have done here today, sergeant."

"Ah, but so will you…," he turned as if to walk away, then whirled back around and brought the whip across Teyla's chest. Strayer laughed as Teyla screamed and over her scream, he could hear the nearly unconscious Sheppard yelling stop.

The self-proclaimed king walked to where the two guards were standing and handed the whip to one of them, the other replacing his robe around his shoulders.

"I have many things to do today; leave them hanging here until mid-day and then take them back to the cell; give them food and water and let them rest. I want this punishment to last for a very long time…killing Sheppard and McKay slowly will bring me much pleasure; the woman, I will take pleasure from another way."

Walking down the stairs, he stopped before Doulis, "Let the good citizens of Baranton know that I will be holding audience after the mid-day meal. They are not to come to the palace until then. Make certain our 'guests' are out of sight by then and get that blood cleaned up. I don't want my subjects to know of them quite yet."

"Yes, sire." Doulis bowed to the retreating 'king and then motioned for younger man to come to him. He spoke to the boy and then the young man took off down the road toward the larger village. Doulis looked at the three Atlantians on the platform for a moment before he followed Strayer into the main hall.

Watching from his perch on the roof, Ronon's anger was quickly reaching an eruption point, yet he knew that there was nothing he could do at the moment; he would only succeed in getting them all killed. The one thing that he had no doubt about was that he would not allow the sergeant to go unpunished if any of his friends died; he would see to it that the 'king' suffered the same fate.

* * *

The sun was directly above them when the guards finally removed them from the post. Teyla was conscious but Sheppard had passed out shortly after Strayer left the platform and McKay had been in and out of consciousness most of the morning. Although it wasn't extremely hot, exposure to the sun had caused all three of the Atlantians to sunburn; Rodney especially, his chest, back and shoulders were very red.

They were carried to the same cell in the basement of the prison and surprisingly to Teyla, they guards were more gentle than she had expected them to be as they placed them down. Blankets were in the cell and there were two pitchers of water and bread and cheese. She wasn't hungry but after the guards left, she ripped pockets off of her BDU pants and used the scraps to clean Sheppard and McKay's wounds.

When she rolled Sheppard over and saw how deep some of the wounds were on his back, she felt bile rise in her throat both from anger and from horror at what was happening to him and to them. She knew that Atlantis would search for them but no one knew where they were; not even Ronon if he were still alive.

After she tended to Sheppard, she moved to Rodney; he was also still unconscious. He had not suffered as many lashes as Sheppard had and they were not as deep; the sergeant's anger at Sheppard demonstrated by the ferocity he used to whip him. She cleaned the thin wounds but her biggest concern was with the severe sunburn Rodney had suffered.

The top of his shoulders, his face, and his chest as well as under his arms was bright red and small blisters were beginning to form in the darkest areas. His skin was hot to the touch and Teyla took a clean patch of fabric and gently wiped the area with cool water. When she was done, she took care of her own cuts and covering the men with blankets, she curled up between them so that she would know if one of them woke up and she fell asleep.

* * *

Ronon waited until his teammates were taken back into the prison, hoping that Strayer was true to his word and that they would get food and water. He knew that Sheppard, especially, and McKay were badly hurt but Teyla had been spared somewhat. The problem was he knew why she had been spared and he knew that he was going to have to prevent Strayer from abusing her if he did nothing else.

The guards all seemed to be heading toward the building he thought housed the mess. Looking around, he realized this would probably be the best time to leave his perch and head for the other village. He needed to find someone to talk to and find out where he was. Silently, he dropped down from the roof and headed for the tree line.

* * *

Although still unconscious, John Sheppard felt the tendrils of a familiar presence enter his thoughts; a presence that gave him a feeling of security and warmth. He wasn't aware that he knew it wasn't Atlantis, he was too far away to connect with her but he did know this entity that was reaching out to him. Slowly he became aware of a voice in his head, a familiar voice, soft and soothing.

_"John, I know that you are in a terrible situation but I am here to help you through it. You must trust me; I am going to help you keep your mind occupied as you endure the trials ahead. I am going to help you dream, a dream that you can escape into whenever you need to do so. Believe in me and believe in yourself and you will survive."_

_**Dreams  
**__  
He woke slowly; he was groggy and he ached from head to toe. He remembered being cold and wet but at the moment he was warm and for some reason felt secure. He didn't know why he felt that way but he knew he wasn't in danger. Opening his eyes, he realized he was somewhere with a roof but his vision was blurry and he couldn't determine any more than that. There was movement near where he laid but he couldn't make out who was there; he tried to speak but couldn't get any words out. He drifted back to sleep._

Realizing that he was waking, the young girl sitting next to his bed jumped up and ran into the main room where a woman was cooking. "Milady, he is awake or at least trying to wake up."

Turning from the stove, the woman smiled at the girl, "Merry, I have asked you not to call me that. You must call me by my name, remember we are in hiding."

Merry curtsied and dropping her head, "I am sorry, I will be more careful…Isabella."

Isabella laughed softly, "The curtsey is not necessary either and I know that you will be careful, especially if our charge is now awake. Watch the stew, it is almost ready and I do not want it to burn. I will go check on the gentleman."

She walked into the sparse bedroom; his eyes were closed and quietly, she sat down in the wooden chair next to the bed. Gazing at him, Isabella admonished herself; she had a job to do and she couldn't allow herself to be so distracted by how beautiful this tall, lean man was. She resisted the urge to touch his dark disheveled hair or run her fingers along his angular jaw and chiseled cheek bones barely hidden under a few days growth of beard. The beard also did little to hide the bruises on his face and neck from the beating he had endured. However, it was his lips that drew her in so deeply; full and soft, she could only imagine what it would feel like to have those lips on hers. Closing her eyes, she thought that it had been too much too long since she had enjoyed a kiss. She was jolted from her daydreams by a husky voice; opening her eyes, she found herself looking into the most beautiful olivine green eyes, eyes that took her breath away.

"Where am I?" He struggled to sit up but finding he didn't have the strength, he collapsed back into the pillow.

"You are safe; please lie back and I will get you some water." She busied herself with getting him water, trying to compose herself, giving herself a silent warning to stop shaking. Turning back to him, with one hand she supported his head and with the other she held the glass of water for him to drink from. His warm hand curled around hers to steady the glass, his long fingers wrapping around her tiny wrist; she took a deep breath, this wasn't helping.

He finished drinking and she placed another pillow behind his head so that he was sitting up a bit. He grimaced as he shifted to get more comfortable and once settled, he took a long look at the woman who was helping him. She had walked over to a dresser where she was dampening a cloth in a bowl of water.

She was small of stature with dark, sandy blond hair falling softly around her face to her shoulders. She was wearing a deep purple, floor length gown made from a fine material that somehow seemed out of place in the rough hewn wood walls of the room. Her curves were accentuated by cut of the gown and when she turned around his eyes were drawn to the low cut bodice which she filled out quite amply. He wasn't certain where he was or who she was but he wasn't too unhappy to be there.

"Who are you, and where am I?" As she sat down next to him and leaned closer in order to wipe his face, a familiar scent of sweet, spicy flowers caressed his senses; this beautiful woman smelled like the colorful snapdragons he remembered from his mother's garden. The delicate snaps were his mother's favorite and he loved them as well.

She began to wipe his face and neck with the damp cloth, hoping that he couldn't tell that her hands were trembling. "My name is Isabella and you are in a farmhouse outside of the village of Ballingham. I know that you are John Sheppard, Earl of Westland. Do you remember what happened?"

"Vaguely, I know I returned from Alasa because I received a letter from Rodney that his father was dying. I remembered hiring a transport to take me to the palace but then things get fuzzy."

"You were ambushed along the road to the capital. Allies of Lord Davos are trying to round up those who are loyal to Prince Rodney; we are trying to rescue or hide all that we can. Some of our people were trying to catch up with you and saw what happened. They were able to rescue you the next day but not before you had been beaten by Davos' thugs. That was three days ago; the healer said you had been drugged and that has caused you to be unconscious for so long." Just as she said that, she touched a bruise along his jaw and he winced. She pulled her hand back quickly afraid she had hurt him.

"I am sorry; I did not mean to hurt you."

"It's alright; your touch is very gentle." He reached up and touched the bruise. "I imagine I have a few more bruises all over from the way my body feels." He looked down and realized that he was dressed in a nightshirt.

"Did you help with changing my clothes when I was brought here?" He gazed at her, watching her eyes widen at his question and seeing a faint blush rise in her cheeks, just the reaction he was hoping to see from her.

"No…no…Ronon and Carson helped. They undressed you and washed the blood from your wounds; then dressed you in the nightshirt." She rose quickly and went to re-wet the cloth with cool water.

"Who are they?"

"They are allies of Prince Rodney; Sir Ronon Dex is a knight of the realm and Sir Carson Beckett is a healer. If you do not know them, then you have been away a very long time."

"I left a long time ago, decided that my father would prefer that I leave so that he could pretend I was never born." He laid his head back and closed his eyes, trying to push memories of his last conversation with his father out of his head.

"Your father was a fool to turn you away."

Isabella had no sooner verbalized her thoughts when she realized that she was the foolish one for even speaking of his father much less commenting on what had occurred between them. She knew of his estrangement with his father from the Prince himself. She had grown up with Lady Jennifer, the Prince's betrothed, and they were best friends; as such, she had been taken into the Prince's confidence and had helped get the secret message to be sent to the Earl of Westland out of the castle. Prince Rodney knew that there was only one person he could truly trust to help him and that was his childhood friend, John Sheppard.

She walked back to the side of the bed and sat down again, intending on wiping the other side of his face. As she reached across him to wipe the cloth down his right cheek, he grabbed her hand. She took a sharp intake of breath, his hand was as warm as it had been earlier and his touch was having an even stronger effect on her than before.

"What makes you believe my father was a fool?" The light from the flickering lamp was reflected in her eyes and he was mesmerized by their deep forest green color, a color he could get lost in.

"I am sorry, sir, I should not have spoken such words. I do not have the right." She gently pulled her hand away and he released her. "You must be hungry, I have made a stew; I will bring you a bowl."

"Isabella, before you go. I need to, uh…well, nature calls."

"Oh…um…there is a water closet behind that door. Let me help you up." She pulled the blanket away from his body and waited for him to move his legs to the side of the bed and onto the floor.

"Put your arm around me to steady yourself before you try to stand." She told him.

Isabella planted her feet and waited to feel his weight transfer to her shoulders. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed off of the bed; he didn't really need to use her but he was enjoying the feel of his hand on her small shoulder. John feigned more dizziness than he actually felt so he could lean more on her tiny frame, her head barely reaching his shoulder; he finally put his arm around her slender waist pulling her closer. They made it across the room and she waited while he attended to business.

When John emerged, he slid his arm around her waist again and she was forced to wrap her arm around his back to support him. As they reached the bed, he turned to sit down but stumbled, on purpose, and fell to the bed taking her with him. Isabella landed on top of him and for a brief moment she could do nothing but soak in how his hard body felt against her. His arms tightened around her and she felt his knee slide between her legs. She gasped at the intimacy and pushed away from him and he let her go.

He smiled at her, "Sorry, I slipped. You, alright?" He well aware of the effect he was having on her and it was giving him great pleasure. It had been a long time since he had felt such a soft body so close.

"I am fine." Obviously embarrassed, Isabella excused herself and left to get his food.

She leaned against the door she had closed behind her for a moment as she let her racing heart calm down. Merry turned from the stove and looked at her.

"Mi…Isabella, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Please take a bowl of stew, some bread and tea to the Earl." She crossed the room to where her cloak was hanging. I am going to find Chuck and send him to let Ronon and the others know the Earl is awake. I'll be back shortly." With a flourish of her cloak, she disappeared through the front door.


	3. Chapter 3 The Villagers

_****_

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Three 3758

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **This story was written for an Easter 2010 Fic Exchange in the sheppardhcchallenges community on LiveJournal. I was assigned a prompt by a community member, sterenyk_strey and based on that prompt, here's the story. As per my usual mode of operation, I wrote a lot. This story is seven chapters plus an epilogue long and I will post it in increments of two chapters per day. Hope you enjoy and always, let me know the good and the bad.

FYI…I have an alternate universe dream sequence in this story, which should be fairly easy to pick out…it is in italics. However, sometimes doesn't cooperate with formatting so if there is any confusion, my apologies in advance.

**Everyone: Thanks to all who have read the story and for the kind words…hope you continue to enjoy. I really appreciate the feedback.**

Also...I am having difficulty with the formatting...so my apologies.

**Another Life**

By stella_pegasi

**Chapter Three: The Villagers**

Ronon kept to the trees and bushes as he followed the road back to the larger village. His mind was racing, he had find out the planet's gate address and get to Atlantis, as soon as he could. Sheppard and McKay had both taking a savage beating and he wasn't certain how much more either man could take. His concern for Teyla took a different path and he knew that he had to be back in the village by nightfall; Teyla may have less time than Sheppard and McKay.

Entering the village on the north side, an area that seemed to be more commercial and deserted, Ronon kept a lookout for any of the men who had kidnapped them. He didn't want to alert Strayer to his presence any sooner than necessary and he really hoped to have a few jumpers and a lot of Marines behind him when he did confront him.

He walked onto the main street of the village, a narrow cobblestone road with wooden sidewalks; the one and two story buildings were built of wood and stone. There were some pack animals tied in front of what appeared to a tavern of some kind. Ronon was certain that Sheppard would make some reference to an Earth western movie if he had been with him. He walked into the tavern which he expected to be full of mid-day drinkers but was as deserted as the streets. Behind the bar was an older man of slight frame, his hair speckled with grey; the man looked up from a ledger as Ronon walked in.

"Stranger, what brings you here?"

Ronon walked up to the bar, "Why do you ask?" He leaned over the bar, his dark eyes boring into the man's.

"Hey, I don't want any trouble…." The fear in his own pale blue eyes was palpable and he was nervously fidgeting with the ledger.

"I'm not here for trouble, I am here for information."

"What kind of information?" The man pulled the ledger up to his chest as if he was using it for protection.

"What can you tell me about the man in the small village; the one who thinks he's a king?"

The man stared at him, his eyes wide and Ronon saw him swallow hard. He backed up from the bar until he reached the counter on the wall. "Why do you want to know about the sire?"

"The sire? He's no king and you know it, he's a soldier from the base I come from and we have been looking for him for a very long time."

"Before I answer any questions. How did you get here?" Ronon raised his eyebrow, and the man continued. "Did you come through the gateway?"

"Why, is that important?"

"You know it is; no one goes through the gateway unless the sire approves it. I have to have permission in order to go to Quena to buy fermented fraces, the drink I sell here. They guard the gateway, no one enters that they do not know."

Ronon stood up, "I did."

"Something very important must have taken guards at the gate away for you to come in without them knowing." The man was silent for a moment looking at Ronon as if he were trying to make a decision.

"I am Charpain Mody; I would like to know who you are and what you are doing here."

"Ronon Dex, the man you know as the sire kidnapped my commanding officer and his as well as two of my teammates. He is holding them in the prison and is torturing them. I need to know this planet's gate address and I need to get off this planet and go for help."

Charpain walked to a doorway on his left and called for someone; a young man appeared and Charpain told him to watch the tavern, he would be gone for a while. Looking back at Ronon he said, "Come with me, there is someone you need to speak with." Ronon followed him behind the bar and out a back door into an alley.

* * *

Richard Woolsey heard the stargate engage and he quickly left his office and strode to the gate technician's station. "Chuck?"

"It's Major Lorne, sir." They both watched as Lorne and his team exited the event horizon. Lorne sent his team to the armory and he headed up the stairs to the control room. As soon as he saw Woolsey, Sheppard's executive officer shook his head side to side.

"Nothing, major?" Woolsey motioned for Lorne to follow him into his office.

"Nothing, sir; it's like they vanished. Teldy's still there, she's waiting until the evening to talk people in the tavern to see if they might have any more information but I'm not holding my breath." Lorne sat down across from Woolsey, closing his eyes, he emitted a long sigh.

"There is absolutely no scrap of evidence of where they went?"

"No, sir, nothing. We spread out and covered the villages and the areas between the gate and the villages; there was nothing to show they had been there or where they may be now."

Woolsey dropped his head and rubbed his eyes, "It's a sure bet that wherever they went, they didn't go willingly. Colonel Sheppard had been contacting us before they left a planet letting us know where they were going." He looked up at Lorne.

"So what now, major?"

"Sir, for the moment, I want to keep a team on the three planets that SGA-1 visited and see if we can gain any intel. That's really all we can do at the moment."

Woolsey nodded and Lorne left to join his team and make the team assignments for coverage on the planets. Other than that, all they could do was wait.

* * *

Rodney and Teyla had been awake for about an hour. Rodney was in severe pain, more from the sunburn than the cuts from the whip, but Teyla had managed to get him to drink some water and eat a bit of bread and cheese. They were both in pain and very tired and hadn't spoken much and both were keeping a close watch on Sheppard.

Teyla had managed to get Sheppard lying on his right side where there were less cuts on his body. She wanted the wounds he had have a chance to stay clean. She had wrapped in him one of the blankets and folded a corner into a makeshift pillow. She soaked another scrap of fabric in water and squeezed some into his mouth, but she knew that he needed to wake up and drink on his own. He was already dehydrated, as was Rodney from exposure to the sun, and Teyla knew unless he drank more, he would get even more dehydrated.

"Teyla…how's…Sheppard?" Rodney voice was weak and shaky.

"Still asleep, Rodney; how are you?" Teyla's voice was tired.

"Cold…" was the only response from Rodney and Teyla realized that he must have been poisoned by the sun. She scooted over closer to him and wrapped the blanket more tightly around him. He was trembling and she knew he was chilling from the severe sunburn. But other than try to keep him warm she knew there was nothing else she could do to help him.

"Let me get closer to you Rodney, I will try to warm you up." Teyla moved next to Rodney and put her arms around him and then pulled her blanket around him as well. She hoped it was enough. Before she drifted off to sleep, she glanced at Sheppard and thought she saw a slight smile on his face. She was certain she was imagining things.

**

* * *

****Dreams**

****

"My dear Lady Isabella, it is good to see you." Sir Cason Beckett entered the farmhouse, handing his cloak and hat to Merry.

"As it is to see you, Sir Carson and you Sir Ronon." Behind Beckett, the very tall, muscular frame of Sir Ronon Dex, Knight of the Realm, entered having to duck through the low door. Isabella smiled as she watched the young Merry's reaction to the very handsome and imposing knight; she had seen that look many times over the years when Ronon entered a room. He could take one's breath away; she was glad she had grown up with him and was immune. If only she were immune to the presence of the other very handsome man in the farmhouse.

"Izzy, you look beautiful as always." Ronon, grinning, picked her up and was twirling her around when a voice interrupted them from the small bedroom doorway.

"It appears the 'Lady' has an admirer and she seems to enjoy the attention." Lord Sheppard was leaning against the door way, mug in hand. "I came out to see if the lovely Merry could fix me another cup of tea." He smiled but he never took his eyes off of Isabella. Merry ran to the stove to put on water for the Earl's tea.

Ronon put Isabella down and gazed at her with the look an older brother gives to a sister when concerned about her beau; Ronon had treated her like a younger sister their entire lives. "Lord Sheppard, may I present Sir Carson Beckett, personal surgeon to the King and Sir Ronon Dex, Knight of the Realm."

Beckett and Dex bowed to Sheppard who shook his head, "Please, don't do that. I have no use for royal nonsense, my name is John." He walked over to Isabella who was standing next to the dining table. Putting his mug on the table, he looked down at her and quietly said, "That goes for you as well, milady; my name is John."

The tension between the reluctant lord and his beautiful quarry was palpable and Beckett decided that he needed to intervene. "Lord…uh…John, Lady Isabella requested that we bring you some clothing," handing a bundle to Merry who took the clothes into the bedroom to unwrap them and lay them out.

John turned to Isabella, his green eyes twinkling and a slight taunting smile on his lips, "What, milady, you don't like me in a nightshirt?" Isabella blushed slightly, a fact not lost on either John or Ronon. Looking at Carson, John said, "Thank you, Sir Carson. If you will excuse me, I'll go change."

"I would like to check your wounds, so if you please, I will come with you." John nodded and Carson picked up a small leather bag he had placed on a side table and followed the Earl into the bedroom.

As the door closed, Isabella turned her back on Ronon and busied herself at the stove, "Ronon, may I get you a cup tea when the water is ready?"

He didn't answer; he walked over to her and turned her to face him, "All right, little one, would you like to tell me what is going on between you and your 'gentleman' guest."

She pulled away from him, hoping he didn't notice her trembling. "Nothing, now tell me what is happening at the palace. How is Jenny and of course, the Prince?"

"They are as fine as can be under the circumstances; don't change the subject on me. You seem to have more than a friendly interest in Lord Sheppard. Would you like to tell me what is going on?"

She paused for a minute then turned to her friend, "No, I would not because there is nothing going on," she pushed past him to pick up John's tea mug. Ronon grabbed her arm.

"Not so fast; not talking to me tells me everything I need to know. Izzy, I know that Prince Rodney values this man above all others, but he has been away for a very long time and we know nothing about him since he left. Please be careful."

Merry came out of the bedroom and took over the tea preparation and a few minutes later Carson emerged. "He'll be right out. He's healing well; you and Merry have been taking good care of him. I would like for him to eat a bit more; in fact, I think it would be wise if we all ate some of whatever smells so good." Isabella turned to Merry who nodded and started to prepare a bowls of stew for everyone.

The stew was on the table along with bread, cheese, tea, and bottles of ale that Carson had brought when the bedroom door opened and John joined them. Isabella hoped no one noticed that she grabbed the back of a chair to keep from falling when she saw him. Carson had brought black pants, black tunic with a stand up collar, and a vest of deep green velvet embroidered with silver and gold thread for him to wear. He simply took her breath away and she slipped into the chair she was holding on to before she fell.

John took a seat across the table from her and stretching his long legs out he slid his right boot under the edge of her skirt, touching her bare leg. She pulled her legs away quickly and busied herself stirring her hot stew, not looking up at him.

John spoke, "So, would you like to tell me what this is all about. I came back because Rodney sent me a letter asking me to return but he didn't say why. He simply told me that the King was dying and he would like for me to be here. When I arrived, I learned the King had died four days before; then on my way to the palace, I get ambushed. So, what's going on?"

Beckett spoke up, "Lor...John, you know that Prince Rodney never wanted the throne when he was young, he was more interested in scholarly things but over the years, he has accepted the responsibility that faces him. The problem is that there are many within the palace and the government house that been waiting for the king to die so that they could instigate a coup and replace Prince Rodney with the High Counselor Lord Henrig Davos and declare him king."

"As you know, the law of succession does not immediately deem Prince Rodney as king; there must be a thirty day mourning period before the king is interred and during that time, Prince Rodney must show that he is capable of the duties of king. Davos has been attempting to sabotage him at every turn but the Prince is too smart and has been able to thwart the efforts and we have done everything that we can to help.

"You were ambushed because they don't want anyone who is loyal to Prince Rodney to get close to him." Ronon picked up the story, "Carson has been banished from the palace, insinuations made that he murdered the king and I have been sent to the Tantu Wilds to quell a rebellion, only there is not a rebellion on Tantu Wilds. So I returned but I am unable to get back into the palace; I tried and was turned away by the King's guards. They told me that the Prince was too busy for an audience. I don't believe that Rodney had anything to do with that."

Isabella spoke next, "Sir, I am the only one who can come and go without question; Davos doesn't see me as a threat. I am to return to the palace tomorrow and you are to come with me. As of yet, Davos has refused me nothing."

Ronon jumped up and began to pace, "And we know why that is, don't we? I don't like you being used to lure Davos, Isabella."

John quickly asked, "What do you mean by 'using her to lure Davos'? Are you putting her in danger?" His eyes were boring into Ronon's.

Beckett, who was sitting next to John, put his hand on the Earl's shoulder, "Easy, John; no one is putting the wee lass in danger. We have people who are loyal to the Prince in the palace who will protect her; besides, as long as Prince Rodney is there, they won't dare hurt her."

John turned to her, "Why are you not in danger as long as Rodney is there?" His heart was pounding, he was afraid that the nature of her relationship to Rodney might be something he didn't want to hear.

"I grew up with Prince Rodney's betrothed, Lady Jennifer, she is Ronon's sister. They are like family to me. As of yet, Counselor Davos has not threatened me." Looking down again, she did not notice his sigh of relief.

Ronon sat back down next to her, "He doesn't threaten her because he wants her and he makes no bones about what he wants and what he wants, Davos usually takes." Ronon looked at John, "He intends to make her his queen when he overthrows Rodney."

Never taking his eyes off of Isabella, John simply said, "We'll make certain that doesn't happen."

****

Looking back at Carson and Ronon, he asked, "What do you have planned?"

**

* * *

**

Mody took Ronon to the outskirts of the village and then down a small, narrow path which ended at a small stone house. Mody knocked twice, waited a second and then knocked twice again. The door opened to reveal a tall, thin, grey-haired man.

"Char, what brings you during the middle of the day and who is this? This is dangerous." He motioned for them to enter and quickly closed the door behind him.

Sitting at a long table in the main room were five men and two women, all of whom were staring at him with both defiance and fear. Their host motioned for them to sit.

Mody spoke, "Galer, I know you think this is dangerous but this man is Ronon Dex and he is here to rescue his people from King Leonard. Somehow, he got through the gateway without the guards seeing him. His people are being tortured; he needs our help."

Galer stared at Ronon before he spoke, "Why were your people captured by the sire?"

"Your sire is actually a soldier who went missing over 5 years ago after three members of his team were killed; his commanding officer has been looking for him since he disappeared. A few days ago, he was spotted by one of our people and we have been on his trail since then. He must have discovered we were looking for him and had my teammates kidnapped. They came through your gate; I slipped in behind them."

"Why did he not take you as well?" The question came from a woman sitting at the table.

Looking at her, "I was only dazed by their stunners and I heard one of them say, the sire didn't know me; he only wanted the three that were on the base when he was." Looking back at Galer, "Look, I just need to get this planet's gate address and get to my world. I can bring help."

"There is no way we can get through the gate today. Tomorrow perhaps, one of our people is at the palace now hoping for an audience to gain approval to go off world for cloth and other supplies for his business. Since he is a tailor and makes many of the clothes that the sire wears, he should be able to gain approval. We were planning to try to send word to those who live in the ancestral city, Atlantis; we have heard they can help us. Perhaps we can send word to your people as well."

Ronon grinned, "Atlantis is my people."

* * *

Rodney woke suddenly and his skin felt like it was on fire. He threw the blanket that Teyla had wrapped him in off but cried out as he stretched the long deep cuts on his body. His cries woke Teyla.

"Rodney, Rodney, are you alright?"

"No…I'm not, but…neither are…you…or Sheppard."

"What…do…you…mean Rodney? I'm…fine." Sheppard's raspy voice was low and weak.

Teyla moved around as quickly as she could to face the colonel, "John, you are awake, we were worried."

"Yeah, I'm…" Sheppard began to cough.

"John, do not try to talk; you must drink some water." Over the next few minutes, Teyla managed to get John to drink about a cup full of water. Then she slowly fed him a bit of cheese and bread.

"Rodney, you need to eat more if you can." She managed to get a bit more food into him as well.

"Sheppard, how do you feel?" Rodney was worried; Sheppard hadn't said anything since those first few words.

"'kay, tired. Wha' happening…"

Teyla answered, "They have left us alone for the last several hours. Why I do not know."

Sheppard struggled to shift his position, "Straye', see us suffer…" He settled back down and was soon asleep again.

Both Teyla and Rodney, despite his own wounds, were becoming alarmed about Sheppard's condition. The colonel had appeared to Teyla to be resting well yet his hoarse voice and inability to speak belied his condition. Teyla was becoming very frightened; if Ronon did not survive, there was no way that Atlantis would find them in time.

She was still trying to wonder what she could do to change the situation and help Sheppard and McKay when the guards came for her. She tried to resist but they overpowered her; the last thing she heard as the guards carried her up the stairs was Rodney's weak voice calling her name.

"'kay…wha'...'appened?" Sheppard had been roused from sleep by Rodney's yelling.

"Those bastards just took Teyla away; John, I think they are taking her to Strayer. I don't want to think…"

"Can't…do...anything, Rodney. She's…strong…b' okay." Sheppard moved his arm slightly in a gesture to pat Rodney on the arm but he never made contact. He was drowsy and he fell back asleep.

Rodney reached over to tuck the blanket around him and felt his forehead. Sheppard was getting hot and clammy. Rodney found the water pitcher and one of the cleaner cloth scraps Teyla had used. He wet the cloth and wiped Sheppard's face and neck down but knew that wasn't going to be enough. Sheppard was going to get very sick and so was he and he didn't want to consider what was going to happen to Teyla. He lay back on his blanket with the realization that this time they might not make it.


	4. Chapter 4 The Plan

****

**Title: **

****

**Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Four 4457

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **This story was written for an Easter 2010 Fic Exchange in the sheppardhcchallenges community on LiveJournal. I was assigned a prompt by a community member, sterenyk_strey and based on that prompt, here's the story. As per my usual mode of operation, I wrote a lot. This story is seven chapters plus an epilogue long and I will post it in increments of two chapters per day. Hope you enjoy and always, let me know the good and the bad.

FYI…I have an alternate universe dream sequence in this story, which should be fairly easy to pick…it is in italics. However, sometimes doesn't cooperate with formatting so if there is any confusion, my apologies in advance.

**Another Life**

By stella_pegasi

**Chapter 4 The Plan**

The three guards who took Teyla from the cell brought her to the large stone and wood house that stood outside the main section of the village. She was taken to the second floor and left in a room that contained a bed and a large metal tub. Hanging on a wardrobe door was a filmy, lacy pale blue gown and Teyla had no doubt that Strayer was about to make good on his promise to make her pay for not paying attention to him when he was on Atlantis.

Teyla tried to open the shutters that covered the windows but they were locked and she couldn't force them or find anything to pry them open. The door to the hall was as solid as the shutters and she was trapped.

She sat down on a chair near the window thinking that she should at least save her energy. She was running through all the ways she could think to overpower Strayer but she had no delusions. She was tired and weak and hurt, she didn't think she could overpower anything at the moment. Closing her eyes, Teyla tried to meditate but was too tired to accomplish even that. The door opened and she was startled out of her thoughts.

Two women walked in followed by four men carrying large containers of water which they poured into the tub. After filling the tub, the men gave Teyla suggestive glances as they were leaving. The women waited until the men were gone, the door closing and locking, and then turned to Teyla.

"We are here to prepare you for your audience with the King. Please undress, we are to bath you." The woman who spoke was a bit older than Teyla and dressed in a simple white dress as was the younger woman with her.

"No, I will not." Teyla stood defiantly next to the chair.

The younger woman looked frightened but the older woman just sighed. "My dear, you do not have a choice and neither do we. If you do not cooperate with us, those men will return and forcibly undress you and stay here while we bath you. I do not believe that you want that anymore than we do. Now please, undress."

The younger woman was pouring scented oil into the water; despite her unwillingness to acquiesce to their demands, the fragrance of the oil was enticing and she was feeling more and more grimy. However, she was not going to give in.

"I will not."

The older woman closed her eyes and sat down on the bed. "I realize that this is very traumatic for you; you and I both know what the King wants, what he always wants. If you are 'kind' to him he might allow you to work in his household and not treat you as a slave. If you do not cooperate, your fate and ours will be one. Zea and I will be working in the fields or whatever his whim is at the time. You; rumors are he wants you and your companions dead, eventually. If that is your true fate, then he will kill us as well."

"You are telling me that you will be punished if I refused to prepare for him?"

"Zea, turn around please." The younger woman turned and the other woman unhooked her dress and exposed her back to Teyla. Five long thin wounds were healing across her back. "Tell her what you were whipped for," she instructed the young woman as she refastened Zea's dress.

"I was late with the sire's supper. He was angry, ordered me stripped and he whipped me in his chambers and then kept me there for the night. Please, I do not wish to be whipped again."

Teyla stood quietly for a moment but she realized that she had no way out of this and she would not allow these women to be punished because of her refusal. She began to undress.

* * *

Ronon had left Galer's house in Sotral as the village was called, about a half-hour before sunset; he wanted to return to the palace before dark, he was afraid of what could possibly happen to Teyla. Galer had made certain he had gotten some rest and was well fed before he headed back to Strayer's lair.

The group he met with had told him the story of what had happened to their village and to Strayer. Galer recounted the story he had heard from one of Strayer's most loyal guards.

Strayer had been a slave on a mining colony which Ronon had heard when he eavesdropped on the sergeant's conversation with Sheppard. What Ronon hadn't heard was that Strayer led a rebellion of slaves and they killed the owner and his minions and about thirty of them escaped to this planet. Many of the other slaves gated back to their home worlds but Strayer had chosen not to return to Atlantis.

Once on the planet, they had settled in the small abandoned village and quietly, Strayer went off world, following slavers and freeing their captives. Some returned home but Strayer was able to convince others to join him in freeing slaves. Somewhere along the line, Strayer's focus became more self-serving and the more successful he became the more he believed he was a king.

Just over a year ago, he had declared himself the King of the planet and had amassed enough followers to force the residents to do his bidding. He had set up guards at the stargate and no one was allowed to come and go with out his approval. He had created quite the little fiefdom but with word that the tailor was going to be allowed to go off-world, Ronon had provided Galer with Atlantis's gate address and his IDC. With luck, if they could last until tomorrow, help would be coming.

Ronon had just arrived at the prison when he spotted Teyla being taken away. He followed and realized that they were taking her toward the large stone and wood house he thought might be where Strayer lived. He had to get her out of there.

* * *

"What is your name?" Teyla had just exited the bath and was being dried by Zea; the older woman was brushing her towel dried hair.

"I am Benera."

"Benera, can you not help me escape? My friends are badly hurt and I need to get help. I need to get to the stargate and contact my home; they can send reinforcements. We can free you from this tyranny. Strayer belongs with his people, the colonel will see to it but he can only do that if he doesn't die. We can protect you and your families, this doesn't have to continue."

"I cannot, he will kill my children, my husband; he will kill me and Zea and anyone else who has had contact with you." Tears were running down her face. "Teyla, I have not seen my husband or children in over a year. He will not allow it."

"Then help me, I will make certain that you are reunited with your family. I am away from my son and his father and my teammates may die. We are all suffering but it does not have to be so."

"Please, do not ask this of me…I cannot help you." Benera continued to brush Teyla's hair, adorning it with jeweled barrettes. Benera then took the gown from its hanging place and slipped it over Teyla's head.

Stepping back, she said quietly, "You are very beautiful, I can understand why the sire has gone to so much trouble for you. He never requires such a perfumed bath and such beautiful things for his 'guests'."

"You send me to him, knowing what he plans; does that not upset you?"

Benera turned from Teyla and walked over to Zea who had begun to cry, when she turned back to Teyla there were tears in her eyes as well. "This pains us more than you know, but what can we do? We are helpless against him. If I could I would go in your place but once he had taken someone he doesn't wish to have them again. Please forgive us." With that, Benera went to the door and yelled to the guards they were done.

* * *

Ronon had made his way around to a grove of trees at the back of the house and he could see lights in the large room on the ground floor, a kitchen. He counted three women and two men working in the kitchen and there were two guards at the back doorway. Above the kitchen on the second story there was a large window and Ronon could see Strayer sitting with his back to the window; at least he knew that Strayer was not with Teyla yet. It had been nearly an hour since he had seen Teyla taken from the prison.

He had to get inside and get Teyla out. The first thing he needed to do was distract the two guards and slip into the kitchen. He was looking around for a rock or something that he could throw into the woods to see if he could pull them away from the door. He had just picked up a rock when the kitchen door opened and the two guards went inside.

The guards sat down at a long counter along what looked like a prep area and one of the kitchen staff placed a couple of plates in front of them. Ronon made his way to the backdoor; the guards were concentrating on their meal and Ronon thought there was no time like the present, he opened the door.

Within seconds, both guards were on the floor, unconscious, and Ronon had his blaster aimed at the kitchen staff. Quickly looking around, he found a pantry with a lock on the door and herded the staff into the small room and locked them in. He cautiously entered the hallway off the kitchen, looking for a staircase. He was certain that Teyla was also on the second floor and if he couldn't find her, he would go after Strayer.

Locating the stairs, he had stepped on the first tread when he heard footsteps. Ducking into a darkened doorway, he saw two women descending and one was carrying Teyla's clothes. He waited until the women had stepped off the stairs and grabbed both of them from behind, his large hands over their mouths.

"Where is she?"

Both women looked extremely frightened but the older one nodded to Ronon and he dropped his hand to her throat. "Tell me, where is she?"

"She is upstairs, third door on the hall that turns to the right off the main hall. There is a guard outside the door; hurry, the sire will send for her shortly. Get her away from him, please." Her eyes were pleading with him; he nodded and took off up the stairs. The women hurried off toward the rear of the house.

Ronon found the short hallway and sneaked a peek around the corner; the guard was slumped against the wall, arms crossed and head down. Ronon wasted no time, he drew the Ka-Bar Sheppard had given him as a gift and ran down the hallway as quickly as he could. The startled guard did not react quickly and soon was lying on the floor, a puddle of blood forming under his body. There was a key ring attached to the guard's belt and Ronon found the key to the padlock on the door. He opened it and found Teyla standing defiantly; it took her a second to register that it was him and then she ran to him.

"You are alive. We were so worried." She threw he arms around him and he hugged her back.

"Sheppard, McKay?" The fear in Ronon's voice was apparent.

"Alive when I left them but they are in very bad shape; the colonel especially. We must get them out of there."

"Come on." Ronon grabbed a weapon from the dead guard and handed it to Teyla. Together they headed back down the staircase. They had reached the bottom of the staircase when a guard left Strayer's chambers with orders to bring Teyla to the sire.

Ronon and Teyla made it to the door leading into the kitchen before someone shouted an alarm; they ran out the back door, almost reaching the tree line before one of the guards took aim and Ronon was hit in the side. Stumbling from the impact, he caught himself before he fell.

"Ronon! Are you all right?" Teyla asked fearfully.

"Keep going…we need to get away from here…go to the right." Ronon pushed her ahead of him and they keep going as fast as they could away from the house.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, she's gone!" Strayer replied to news from, Ilid, the chief guard on night duty, who had run up the stairs to tell him that that Teyla had been freed.

Strayer had jumped up from the desk in his chamber when he heard the shot outside. He had raced to the other end of the hall and found one of his guards dead outside of the room where Teyla had been taken. It was there that Ilid had found him.

"Sir, we don't know who but someone came into the kitchen, knocked out the two guards having dinner and locked the staff in the pantry. Then went upstairs, killed Wesa, and took off with the woman. Jenas took a shot at them as they ran into the darkness but we don't know if he hit either of them." Ilid held his breath when he finished giving Strayer the information, he was certain that his 'sire' would go ballistic upon getting the news. He was perhaps more frightened when Strayer did not.

"Ilid, get a squad together and send them after her and whoever took her. I want them both brought back to me alive. Send word to Doulis to double the guard at the prison and then wait for me; I will be going there as soon as I change."

* * *

Teyla made Ronon stop for a few minutes and she checked the wound in his side. "You have been shot but the bullet has passed through. However, you are bleeding badly; I have to bandage the wound before we can go on."

She began to rip pieces of the sheer material from the gown she was wearing, knowing that it wasn't going to make an adequate bandage but hopefully she could get enough pressure on the wounds to stem the bleeding.

"Teyla, we need…to get to the other village…we have help there. Need to go."

"We will go when I have your wounds bandaged."

* * *

Rodney was jolted awake by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. He was filled with fear for himself and more fear for Sheppard. Four guards appeared in front of the cell door and the next thing Rodney knew he and Sheppard were being carried from the cell.

The night sky contained a single moon that bathed the stone buildings in a pale ghostlike light. Rodney was thankful that Sheppard had not awakened because he was very afraid that whatever was going to happen to them was not going to be pleasant. When he saw Strayer standing on the wooden platform, he knew he was right. Strayer looked as angry as he had ever seen anyone and way too calm.

"Ah, Dr. McKay, I see you are awake for the party but our guest of honor is not. Oh well, I will still enjoy the festivities." He turned to Ilid, "Strip them and string them up."

Though paralyzed with fear, Rodney refused to allow Strayer to realize he was frightened. Sheppard was the team's anchor, their benchmark and the team followed his lead, his strength, his courage in the face of whatever danger they were in. Rodney knew that he had to be the source of strength for both of them since Sheppard couldn't and as frightened as he was, he was determined not to show Strayer, not to show this crazy Marine, that he was afraid.

The guards stripped their remaining clothes from them and binding their hands, hung them over the hooks embedded in the wooden poles. Rodney watched as Strayer took a whip from one of the guards and walked toward Sheppard. With a look back toward Rodney and a large smile on his face, Strayer told him, "You can blame Ms. Emmagan for this, someone broke into my home and took her before I had a chance to; you and pretty-boy here are going to suffer for her escape."

With that statement, Strayer brought the whip down on Sheppard again and again and again. Rodney felt as if he couldn't breath as he watched Sheppard spin and spin, blood was beginning to run down his body from fresh cuts by the thin tough leather and from the old wounds that reopened. Rodney could feel the warm blood that was spiraling away from the colonel's body as the drops hit his own cold skin.

Strayer continued to strike Sheppard twenty or thirty times before he stopped and Rodney didn't think there was anywhere on Sheppard that wasn't covered with blood. His heart pounded from fear for his friend; he didn't believe that the colonel could survive such an attack.

The one good thing was that Teyla was safe and if Teyla was safe that likely meant Ronon was alive and on the planet. Maybe they might have a chance to survive after all, if Sheppard could stay alive long enough. As Strayer turned toward him, cracking the whip on the wooden deck, Rodney decided to keep that thought in his head as long as he could. He felt a calm wash over him as the whip lashed out at him.

**

* * *

**_****_

Dreams

It was the middle of the night and Ronon was sprawled on the couch in the main room of the farmhouse, his very long legs sprawled out in front of him. There was a blazing, warm fire burning the fireplace and a mug of ale in his hand. He thought that if there wasn't so much intrigue in the palace, he could be feeling very mellow; as it was, his mind was racing, tomorrow Isabella and Sheppard would be walking into the palace and their plan would be underway. If he could only trust Sheppard, he might not feel so worried.

He wondered if his reservations regarding Sheppard had to do with his worry over Prince Rodney's complete trust of someone he hasn't seen in so many years. Sheppard had walked away from the problems with his father; he simply left, never solving the issues between them. Ronon didn't hold much for people who ran away from a fight, regardless of what that fight might be. But Ronon also knew that he might be really more concerned about Isabella's obvious interest in the Earl and the blatant interest that the Earl had in his beautiful little 'sister'. He was as protective of her as he was his blood sister; Lord Sheppard had best be very careful.

Ronon smiled as he thought of all the summers that he, Jennifer and Isabella had spent together. He was a bit older and had taught them both to ride and hunt, although Izzy, as he had called her since they were small, refused to kill anything but she had turned out to be an excellent rider. Her father, Lord Richard Woolsey had been the most trusted advisor of King Meredith, Rodney's father, and served at court the majority of his time. Isabella's mother had died in childbirth and his parents had offered with open arms to have Isabella stay with them when her father was away.

Sighing deeply, he knew he was on edge over what was happening in the court and Isabella's role in it. He worried not only about Jennifer being so close to the dangerous situation but also that Isabella had been the object of Davos' desire for a very long time and she had rejected him repeatedly. He had not taken her rebukes well; all indications pointed that Isabella was part of his reward once he implemented his plan and executed his coup.

The fire was dying down and he rose to add more wood as the night had turned chilly. Beckett had gone back to the other safe house they were using but he had decided to remain with Isabella once he had observed the growing tension between her and Sheppard. He had just added a couple of new pieces of wood when he heard the click of a door opening and in a heartbeat had drawn his weapon and turned to face who ever made the noise.

"I was just coming out to get a glass of water…put away the weapon, big guy." Sheppard was dressed once again in the nightshirt; he strolled over to the cold box pulling out a pitcher of cold water and filling a glass. As he drank, he noticed that a kettle of water was simmering on the stove; Merry had left hot water for tea. Finishing the first glass, he poured another and drank it down while watching Ronon stoke the fire.

"Mind if I join you?" Sheppard walked toward the couch. "Couldn't sleep, kept thinking about Rodney and what he's been going through. I suppose the three days of sleep I had after being ambushed isn't helping either."

Ronon turned around, "Have a seat," watching as Sheppard sat on one end of the long couch. Ronon was well aware that this was no ordinary man; there was something fearless about him, a quiet confidence that didn't manifest as ego but as strength. He wore his own courage and determination on his sleeve; it was what he did, he was a protector of the people on behalf of the King. The man sitting before him was most definitely courageous but didn't seem to care if anyone was aware of it.

"Why did you come back?

"Right to the point, I see." Sheppard said, a slight smile on his face, "I asked myself that several times as I made the decision to return. I suppose that a childhood friendship carries more importance than I suspected. Rodney was a strange kid, he hated the royal crap we had to deal with as much as I did. All he wanted to do was study, he loved science but he needed someone to protect him from the people who wanted to make him something he wasn't. Somehow, that job fell to me and I became his shield against the world. He was stronger than he ever knew and once I left, I knew he would realize it himself; from what I hear, he did."

Ronon nodded agreement with Sheppard's statement, "Prince Rodney is a good man and he has grown tremendously over the past years. Jennifer fell in love with him because of his uniqueness; he gained my respect over the last few years, he has become strong and determined. I once asked him why and he told me that the best friend he ever had taught him how to be strong, he just didn't realize he had the skills until he was forced to fight. I am assuming you are that friend, so why did you leave here where your friends and family are? That doesn't sound like the actions of a strong man to me."

Sheppard stood up and walked over to the fireplace, absently he picked up the poker and started pushing the burning logs around. "Not that it is any of your business but I had a very difficult time dealing with something I found out my father had done. I couldn't reconcile his behavior with what I thought I knew about him. He betrayed someone and it costs a price that I wasn't willing to pay. He had no remorse and I had no desire to be his son any longer. I left and tried to make a life for myself on another planet…but I stayed in touch with Rodney. I guess part of me never wanted to leave." He looked back at the fire for a moment, and then looked at the door to the room where Isabella was sleeping. Now he wasn't certain that he could leave again.

Ronon watched Sheppard's eyes as they tracked to Isabella's door. He quietly told the dark haired man standing before him, "You know that I will kill anyone that hurts her."

Sheppard looked directly at Ronon, "I would never hur…" A scream coming from Isabella's room interrupted his answer. Sheppard was already at her bedroom door before Ronon reacted.

Anticipating someone having broken into the room, he was ready for attack but all he found was Isabella sitting upright, her hands on her face, "Bella, are you alright?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed his hands on her trembling shoulders; he was aware that Ronon had entered the room behind him. "Tell me what frightened you."

Merry had also entered the room, having heard Isabella's scream; she turned on the lamp across the room. Sheppard glanced at her, "Merry, please bring her some tea." The young servant nodded and left the room.

Isabella raised her head, tears spilling from her eyes, "I had a nightmare…Davos…he hurt you, you were bleeding and he was laughing and coming towards me, I couldn't get to you to help you." She settled against his chest and he put his arms around her.

"I'm right here, Bella; it was only a dream."

"No one but my father ever calls me Bella; I liked being called that. Please, John, don't leave me." She pressed closer to him.

"I won't leave you, Bella, I promise."

"Sheppard." Ronon didn't have to say anything else; Sheppard turned and looked at the large man standing next to him.

"Trust me, Ronon; I promise you, I would never do anything to hurt her or take advantage of her." Sheppard spoke quietly and he waited to see if the knight would believe him; his answer came when Ronon left the room.

Sheppard moved on the bed so that he was sitting next to her and brought her close. Merry brought tea and smiled at him as she left the room. He laughed quietly as he thought at least one person approved of him. He insisted that Isabella to drink some tea and then he held her against his chest as she went back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 The Coup

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Five 4024

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **This story was written for an Easter 2010 Fic Exchange in the _sheppardhcchallenges_ community on LiveJournal. I was assigned a prompt by a community member, sterenyk_strey and based on that prompt, here's the story. As per my usual mode of operation, I wrote a lot. This story is seven chapters plus an epilogue long and I will post it in increments of two chapters per day. Hope you enjoy and always, let me know the good and the bad.

FYI…I have an alternate universe dream sequence in this story, which should be fairly easy to pick…it is in italics. However, sometimes doesn't cooperate with formatting so if there is any confusion, my apologies in advance.

**Another Life**

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Five The Coup**

Teyla and Ronon were traveling through the dense forest about a half-mile from Galer's house when the guards caught up with them; finding cover behind a few large trees, Teyla whispered to Ronon. "I now understand why Colonel Sheppard insists we keep night-vision goggles with us. I cannot see anything." Ronon didn't answer and looking over at him, she could see he was in pain.

"Let me check your wound." Raising his shirt she could see he was still bleeding but not as badly as before. "The bleeding has slowed down, if we are as close to this house as you say, we can get you fixed up." Ronon only nodded.

They both heard the snap of wood at the same time. Raising their weapons, they could hear movement to their right; they waited in the darkness of the forest, straining to see their attackers.

A shot rang out and bark on the tree next to Teyla splintered. She and Ronon both fired in the direction of the shot, knowing that they had just given away their position. Weapons fire from at least three more guns came toward them and one bullet passed so closely to Teyla that she could feel the heat from the metal along her cheek. They fired back at the guards and heard a cry from one of them, hoping they had hit one and lowered the odds somewhat.

Feeling like they were sitting ducks, Ronon started to move away from Teyla to draw fire but she grabbed his arm, "No, they might see you; stay here."

The guards fired again and this time, a bullet grazed Teyla's bare arm. Stifling a moan, she fired her weapon but she knew with both of them hurt and she was exhausted, they were not going to win. The volley of gunfire continued for a few more minutes until they heard weapons fire from further away; then nothing but silence.

Ronon put his hand on her shoulder, "Wait, someone else is out there."

"Atlantis?" Teyla asked hopefully.

"No, can't get through the gate to contact them."

Then they heard a voice, "Ronon, it's Galer; are you here?"

"Your friend, Ronon?"

"Yeah." Ronon sighed deeply. "We're over here, Galer." Ronon then slumped against the tree trunk.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise as Rodney regained consciousness. He was no longer hanging from the hook; he had been taken down and bound to the pole itself. He tried to take a deep breath but he couldn't…his chest was tight from the bruising and swelling left by the leather whip. Raising his head took great effort but he managed it and looked over at Sheppard, thankful that he was now bound to the pole as well. Rodney didn't think either of them could have stood being hung by their arms for so long; his shoulders were in agony. What did concern him was how pale Sheppard was under all of the bruises and numerous cuts across his body. He could tell Sheppard was breathing but his chest was rising only slightly and too rapidly. Rodney really didn't know how much more Sheppard could take.

Resting his head against the pole, Rodney realized how cold he was; not having any clothes on to protect him from the cool, damp morning air was not helping. Naked and beaten again; just a few years ago he would never have believed he would be out of his cushy lab and be tied naked to a wooden stake, beaten and whipped by a crazed Marine. Life sure took some funny turns. It was then he realized that he was fairly lucid but couldn't imagine why. He had been whipped again last night but not as brutally as Sheppard. Strayer didn't seem to have the venom in his heart to strike him as brutally as he had Sheppard. In fact, he realized that he had felt a peace last night when Strayer first started whipping him. Somehow, he was able to detach himself from what was happening to him and he had drifted off to sleep. He was still pondering why when Doulis, Strayer's head henchman, walked up the stairs onto the platform.

"Come to see your master's handy work?" Rodney knew it was dangerous but he didn't care. Doulis had walked over to Sheppard and seemed to be checking to make certain he was alive. McKay felt bile rise in his throat. "What, making sure…that he's alive…uh…so your boss can keep hurting…him?"

Doulis walk over to McKay, "Pretty brave for a naked man tied to a pole, aren't you? The sire said you were an arrogant bastard and he was right." He walked up to Rodney and leaned in, his face only inches from McKay's. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't whip you myself."

Rodney looked in Doulis' dark brown eyes and almost felt that this man was almost begging him to give a reason why he shouldn't. He decided to take a chance, "Because you know that your…'king'….is crazy. Uh…Sheppard…been trying…to find him all these years." It was hard for Rodney to talk but he had to see if he could reach Doulis; Sheppard needed help.

"The sire said that he was abandoned by his people, left to die as a slave. He said that one was a coward who killed his own commander to get his post. I don't believe you."

Rodney was getting really pissed, "Listen…uh….that man over there is the…bravest man I know…he would have fought to the death…to rescue Strayer…or any of you when you…were slaves. You are…fools for believing…that crazy man. Sheppard's sick…badly injured...help him."

Doulis took a step back, "You ask for help for him but not yourself?"

Rodney could only nod, he couldn't talk anymore. Doulis looked at him for a moment and then turned around and yelled to some of the guards who were standing in the square. "All of you get up here; take these men back to their cell."

Though barely able to raise his head, Rodney managed to say to Doulis, "Thanks…"

* * *

Galer was pacing back and forth waiting for word from the village. They knew that the king was angry and he needed to know how many of the king's guards had come to their village. One of their operatives who was working as a guard for the king had come to them last night to tell them about Ronon's rescue of Teyla and how violently the king reacted. They had decided to try and help Ronon and when they came upon them, they killed the guards that were shooting at the Atlantians and brought the injured Ronon and woman to Galer's home.

Teyla came down the narrow stairs from the second story of the small house. Galer stopped pacing, "Good morning, you are well?" He walked over to the table and poured a cup of tea which he handed it to her.

"Yes, I am well, thank you for what you did for us; tending to our wounds. We owe you our lives." She smiled slightly.

"Don't thank me yet, I have a feeling this is going to get much worse. How is Ronon?"

"He was still asleep when I left him. However, I will need to wake him soon; he will not be happy if I allow him to sleep too long."

"Don't worry, I'm awake." Ronon had appeared in the doorway. He sat down next to Teyla and Galer handed him a cup of tea as well.

"How are you feeling?" Teyla asked.

"Better; don't know what that stuff was you put on my wounds but I don't have much pain. Thanks for patching me up." Galer nodded and Ronon asked him, "What do we know?"

"I am waiting for word. Before daybreak, our scout told us that more guards showed up at the gateway. I do not know if they will allow Evanes to travel to Cevar to buy cloth. Mortas was there early to go to sell produce and they turned him away."

Teyla rose, "We have to get word to Atlantis today. If we do not, I do not believe that Colonel Sheppard will survive."

Ronon got up and put his hand on her shoulder, "One way or another, I will get to Atlantis today. Galer, if Evanes cannot go through he needs to bring back the device I gave him." Galer nodded and was about to say something else when they heard a double knock at the door.

Galer opened the door and the tavern owner, Mody entered, "Something's going on, Evanes came in the tavern just a few minutes ago, he was not allowed to go through the gate. They have doubled the guards at the gateway and there are guards everywhere in the village. They are looking for someone and I believe we know who that someone is," Mody looked at Teyla as if he were embarrassed to give her the news.

Ronon also looked at Teyla but he did not have to verbalize what he was thinking, she simply nodded to him. She understood they had to get to Atlantis and that meant taking back the gate.

She turned to Galer, "I am most grateful for the clothing that you have given me but I must ask another favor; while the skirt is beautiful it is not practical. Is there some other clothes I could wear?"

Mody smiled, "A warrior princess, something we can use around here. My son should have some pants and a shirt and jacket that should fit you. My house is not far away, I will go get them now."

As Mody left, Ronon turned to Galer to tell him what they were going to do but Galer held up his hand, "You do not need to say anything Ronon; we have known that we would need to fight at some point. When we decided to help you last night the commitment to fight was made. You finish your breakfast and I will summon the others."

* * *

The only thing that Rodney could think about for the first few moments he was lying on the floor of the cell was that at least he was lying down. His body was past hurting, he was numb but he was beginning to feel feverish and he knew that his wounds were becoming infected. Not only were the whip marks beginning to show signs of infection but the blisters from the deep sunburn had broken and they were becoming infected as well.

Doulis had ordered water and bread brought to them; he didn't think he could eat but he needed water and somehow he had to get water into Sheppard. He crawled to the pitcher and then dragged it to where Sheppard was laying.

"Well, fly-boy…we've been through…some shit but this…this… may be the shittiest." He tried to shake Sheppard awake but he couldn't. This close to Sheppard, he could see how much damage had been done to his friend's face and body. Fine and thick marks from the whip crisscrossed his body and he was covered in caked blood that was flaking off as Rodney shook him. "Come on, John, wake up." This time he shook him harder and got a tiny reaction from the colonel.

"Come on John, just a little water; you need to drink." He raised Sheppard's head and placed it on his thigh, prying open Sheppard's mouth. He tried to pour a tiny bit of water into his friend but he succeeded in spilling more water on the floor than into the colonel. Sheppard began to fight him and Rodney decided to let him rest.

Wrapping the blanket around him as best he could, Rodney laid down next to Sheppard to rest as well. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought he heard Sheppard say something, something that sounded like 'Bella'.

_

* * *

_

_Dreams_

_The palace was less than a mile away and the transports stopped behind an abandoned building on the edge of town. It was nearing the time for the King's Court and they wanted to be there before Prince Rodney entered the chamber to hear the petitioners._

_Isabella had changed into a more opulent green and gold gown for court and Sheppard was having a difficult time keeping his eyes off of her or perhaps it was the memory of holding her through the night that had him so distracted. He thought back to the moment she awoke and realized that he was lying next to her._

_"Oh…what are you doing here?" She tried to push him away but he pretended to be asleep and rolled over until he was nearly on top of her. She pushed again and she could not budge him._

_She whispered, "Oh no…if Ronon finds you, he will kill you. Lord Sheppard please, wake up." She was getting desperate and tried again to push him away._

_"I thought I told you to call me John." He spoke softly, his face in the crook of her neck. She could feel the soft texture of his beard and the light pressure of his lips on her skin._

_"You… you were awake all along! Get off me!"_

_He laughed and rolled away; standing up by the bed, he looked down at her, his eyes lazily gazing at her from heat to toe. "Don't worry about Ronon, he approved my sleeping with you."_

_"He did not!" She pulled the covers to her chin._

_"Bella, you had a bad dream and you asked me to stay with you. Don't you remember?"_

_She nodded yes; she did remember but was embarrassed by her request._

_"And Ronon knows that I stayed with you and he also knows that I would never take advantage of you; no matter how much I wanted to."_

_His last words sent chills up her spine._

_"I'll send Merry in to help you get ready; we are leaving early for the palace." His hand was on the doorknob but he paused, not looking back at her. "Holding you all night was amazing," and with that he left._

_Bringing himself back to the present, he realized that Ronon was speaking to him, "Sorry, I was thinking and didn't hear you."_

_"I was introducing you to Evan Lorne; he is the head of the Palace Guards and one of us. He says that Davos intends to make his move today when Prince Rodney is leaving Court. We have to hurry."_

_Everyone but Isabella and John left the sleek black transport that they had been riding in since they left the farmhouse. Since the guards would not know John, he was acting as her driver and personal guard so that on her word, he would be allowed in the palace. Dressed in the black shirt and pants and green vest from yesterday, he was also wearing a long black leather coat that concealed the weapons he carried. As he settled into the driver's seat, he glanced over his shoulder at Isabella._

_"You don't have to do this, we can find another way."_

_"No, there is no other way. We need to go" She gave him a look of determination and there was no fear in her eyes. He had no doubt from that moment on that he loved her._

_They entered the palace grounds without any delays and he parked the transport in the designated area at the front portico and escorted the Lady Isabella to the court. Once inside she spoke to a young man John assumed was a page and then walked back to him._

_"I have asked Jinto to request an audience with Prince Rodney. John, things are very tense here…I asked him where my father was and he told me that he saw my father at the morning meal but not since then. I am very concerned that he may have been taken captive or worse by Davos."_

_"Let's not jump to conclusions but I fear you could be right. I have been watching the people in this room, there are a lot of very anxious faces here and I…" At that moment, the page reappeared and motioned for them to follow him. Within moments, they were in the Prince's chambers. John stayed near the door and dropped his head, hoping the Prince wouldn't recognize him immediately._

_"Isabella, it is so good to see you." Prince Rodney was smiling, his bright blue eyes sparkling as he hugged her. From an inner door a lovely, fine boned woman, slightly taller than Isabella, with long blond hair entered the room and ran to hug her as well._

_Lady Jennifer held on to Isabella, "You shouldn't be here; we think that Davos is going to try to implement his coup today. You need to leave, we don't want you hurt."_

_"No, I am not going anywhere. The two of you are my friends, my family, I have to help. Besides, Jinto told me he hasn't seen my father, I think Davos has already taken him."_

_Prince Rodney was quiet as he confirmed that was his fear as well. "We think that he has, people have been disappearing all morning. You need to leave."_

_"I've been trying to tell her that but she won't listen to me." John voice was low but the Prince's head snapped around as he heard the familiar voice._

_"I didn't think you were going to come." He quickly walked over the John and hugged him. "You…you… look scraggly with that beard but I have never been happier to see anyone."_

_"It's good to see you, too. We'll talk later but right now, we don't have much time. Ronon told us that intel from inside the palace says that Davos is going to make his move just after the court. We need to prepare; Ronon and many others are waiting outside the palace. I need to get to the West gate to let them in. Ronon asked that you assign Stackhouse, Johnston, and Brenner to go with me; he wants to let them know the plan."_

_Rodney quickly pushed a button on a wall panel and Jinto immediately entered the room. As he quickly gave him instructions to accompany John who he introduced as the Earl of Westland and find the three knights, John realized how much Rodney had matured since he last saw him so many years ago. He was proud of the competent, controlled man he saw in front of him, a far cry from the sandy haired chubby boy who used to hide behind him. The one other thing he realized was that he had missed his childhood friend._

_John turned to Isabella, "Bella, stay with the Prince and Lady Jennifer, I'll be back for you." He leaned down and brushed her lips with his and then turned toward the door._

_"John, be careful." Isabella didn't try to hide the trembling in her voice._

_He turned and looked at her, a crooked grin on his face, "Don't worry, milady, you won't sleep alone tonight." With that he turned and left._

_"Bella? I thought only your father called you Bella and what did he mean, you won't sleep alone tonight. What are you not telling us?" Jennifer had a most intrigued look on her face._

_"There is nothing to tell." Isabella replied but she could not keep from blushing slightly._

_Jennifer grinned and Prince Rodney leaned toward her while smiling at Isabella, "I told you John Sheppard, Earl of Westland was special."_

* * *

'King' Strayer spent the entire night searching the countryside for Teyla and her abductor and by the time he returned to his house shortly after daybreak, he was enraged that he had not been able to find her or whoever took her away from him. He dispensed that rage out on two of the servants, one of them Benera. Repeatedly, Strayer asked her if she had let the man who had taken Teyla into the house and despite her denials, he continued to beat her. When he was done with her, the head of the kitchen suffered the same fate. When he finished beating the cook, Strayer calmly told him to prepare his breakfast and serve it in his chambers.

As he walked up the stairs, he decided that the good citizens of his kingdom were going to have to suffer on behalf of whoever meddled in his business. He sent one of the house guards to bring Doulis to him.

When Doulis arrived and entered the king's chambers, he sensed that the king was extremely agitated but was controlling his anger, at least for the moment. "Sire, you asked to see me."

Strayer just finished the last morsel of his breakfast and pushed the plate out of the way. "Yes, you are aware that someone took the woman?" Doulis nodded that he was and Strayer continued, "I have decided that those idiots in Sotral are hiding her. They will pay, one by one, until they give her back to me and turn over the man who abducted her. You will organized the men and begin rounding up at least fifty of the villagers and bring them to the palace. Make certain that women and children are also taken. We will begin punishing them until they realize they cannot defeat me." He handed Doulis a large piece of paper, "Take this and post it in the village, this will let them know what will happen if they do not cooperate."

He had begun pacing, his eyes darting around the room, rarely focusing on Doulis. "Take Sheppard and McKay down from the poles, I don't want the villagers to know about them. I want to save their deaths as punishment for Teyla. She will learn not to cross me. I will be in the village in two hours. Make certain that my audience awaits me." With a toss of his hand, he dismissed Doulis.

Doulis walked slowly down the stairs, his mind racing. He knew that this was all wrong, he had known that when Strayer had them kidnap the three Atlantians but wouldn't admit it then. His 'king' was losing control of his senses and things were getting out of hand. He had to talk to the others; they couldn't let this go on.

Galer appeared shortly after Mody returned with clothing for Teyla. She had just come back down the stairs as Galer told them what he had seen.

"I have nearly forty men who are ready to do whatever we need to do to take back the gate. There is an old mill about a ½ mile from the gate and they are beginning to assemble there. The problem is that the roads between here and the gate are crawling with the king's guards, so they are traveling two or three at a time to prevent being seen. It will be difficult to even get to the gateway."

Teyla asked, "Can we circle around the village without being seen?"

Galer nodded, "Yes, but it will take at least a half-hour more, so we will not reach the gate for at least an hour."

"Then we need to…," Ronon was interrupted by the front door opening rapidly, slamming against the inside wall.

One of the villagers ran into the room, "Galer, the guards are beginning to take people in the village. My wife was nearby when this was posted on the village board; she managed to hide until they left, then she ripped it down and brought it to me."

Galer held it out for Ronon and Teyla to see, the poster gave notice that if Teyla and her abductor were not turned over to King Leonard immediately that, starting at high noon, a villager would be put to death at the palace; one every half-hour until she was returned.

"Ronon, Teyla, what do we do?" For the first time since they had met him, the calm Galer was frightened.

Ronon quietly said, "We take back the gate and bring help from Atlantis."


	6. Chapter 6 The Fight

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Six 4125

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **I am posting the rest of the story today; I had more time to re-format the chapters. I hope that you enjoy! Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it and would love to hear how you liked (or not) the entire story. I really can't say thank you enough; I'm having a lot of fun writing but you guys make this all worthwhile, if even it's only one person that enjoys a story that means a lot.

**Another Life**

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Six: The Fight**

Ronon was moving swiftly despite his wounds and Teyla and the others were having a difficult time staying up with him. Scouts from the village had joined them and they now knew that many people, including children from the school had been taken to the palace; Mody's son and Galer's brother among those now under threat of death from the 'king'.

They had been traveling through the dense forest that surrounding the village for nearly a half-hour and were nearing the old mill. Ronon stopped, holding up his hand to let the others know to stop as well; Teyla and Galer came up beside him.

"There are two guards ahead; we are going to have to take them out. Teyla, you up to it?"

She glanced around the area and spotting an appropriately sized tree branch lying on the ground, "Yes."

Looking back at Galer, Ronon whispered, "Keep everyone else here," and he and Teyla began moving toward the guards.

Within seconds, the guards were on the ground, out cold. Galer and one of the other villages rushed up with rope and they tied the two guards to a couple of trees and relieved them of their weapons.

Galer looked at the two Atlantians, "So, what they say about Atlantis is true; you are Ancient warriors."

Teyla smiled, "No, we just want to free our friends and your people; that provides us with excellent motivation as we cannot fail them."

Galer said, "We are very glad you are here; the mill is just over that rise along a swiftly moving stream. However, the gateway as you know, Ronon, sits in the middle of an open meadow; we will lose cover except for a tree line along the west side of the gateway. I am afraid it will not offer us much protection."

"We'll take what cover we can." Ronon replied and began moving toward the mill, motioning for them to follow.

* * *

Doulis stood on the steps of the palace looking over the square where the prisoners from the village were assembled. The villagers were frightened and angry and that these innocents were prisoners because of an angry king was having an effect on him. He had known for months that the king was insane, yet he had done nothing to stop the increased tyranny released on the villages.

When he followed Strayer from the mining camp where they were both slaves, he had thought Strayer a wise and valiant man. He had led the uprising that gave freedom to the slaves and had vowed to free all slaves that he could find and kill all slavers to prevent them from taking anyone from their homes. He had believed Strayer meant what he said then but now he knew that Strayer was a madman.

He had to stop this; these people did not deserve to die. That would make him as vile as the slavers who had taken him from his family so many years before. He needed to put a stop to this madness. Walking down the steps, he approached Harnis, a man they had freed from one of the worst slave camps they had discovered. He had been watching Harnis and he was fairly certain that Harnis was as unsettled about the current situation as he was. He might be signing his own death warrant but he had to take a chance.

"Harnis, I must speak with you," Harnis looked at him and Doulis could see the same anger he felt reflected in the younger man's eyes. "I believe you are as angry about this as I am. We must do something to stop the king; are you with me?"

"Yes and there are many more that will help us end this. I thought we were to free people from bondage not to enslave them ourselves." The younger, taller man looked down at Doulis. "I am pleased that you feel like we do; what should we do first?"

Doulis thought for a moment, "We need help; we need to get to the nearest villages and find assistance there and I think we have another source for help. Find those you can trust and dispatch them to the villages to bring help; I have to talk to someone else." Harnis nodded and immediately left to execute Doulis' orders. Doulis walked across the square, passing the area where the villagers were being held, and entered the prison; he needed to talk to the Atlantian.

* * *

Rodney had slept for a couple of hours but awoke when he heard muffled shouting drifting down the stairwell. He struggled upright and found that he was dizzy, nauseated, and burning up; as much as he wanted water, he knew he would never keep any of it down. His heart was pounding; if he felt this sick then Sheppard had to be worse.

He pulled himself over to Sheppard and was relieved to find him breathing but that was all he was relieved about. Sheppard was shivering, his skin extremely hot and many of his wounds were opening oozing both pus and blood and what skin wasn't cut was sunburned, although not quite as bad as his own. His brain was screaming, 'damn it…damn it…he's going to die if I can't get him help'. Resting his head on his arms, Rodney wondered what the hell could he do; he didn't know what had happened to Teyla but he knew that if she had escaped that Ronon must be with her. He took solace in the fact that maybe two of them would at least survive.

Managing to pull the pitcher of water over, he poured some in his hand and splashed it on his face and the repeated the effort, spilling the water over Sheppard's face. What frightened him the most was that Sheppard did not react to the cool water hitting his face. If someone didn't help them soon, Sheppard was surely going to die and he wouldn't be that far behind.

The shouting outside had died down but Rodney thought he could hear crying but the sound was too muffled to be certain. However, the sound of footsteps on the wooden staircase that lead to the lower level of the prison was getting louder. Rodney turned toward the metal bars and struggled to sit upright. If he was going to face his death, he would face it like Sheppard did, face to face.

Rodney was scared, what if this was it and there was no one to help them. He looked over at Sheppard, his breathing erratic, shivering, but burning up as well; maybe it would be better if it did end now, at least Sheppard wouldn't be suffering. As he watched Sheppard, he felt calmness wash over him and he thought he sensed a voice in his head. A voice telling him not to be afraid, they would survive, he trusted the voice but he wasn't certain why.

He looked up and saw Doulis standing at the cell door. "Come to…take…us out to…play again?" It was getting more difficult for McKay to talk, his voice was raspy and weak.

"I've come to ask you a question." Doulis unlocked the cell door and walked inside. He knelt down next to Sheppard, touching his forehead.

"He's…alive…if that's…what you want…to know."

"I'm glad he's still alive but I need to ask something for my men." Doulis saw the confusion in Rodney's face. "I need to know if we help you, will Atlantis spare my men from punishment. I will accept any punishment in their place but the king has to be stopped. He is completely out of control over the woman's escape. He has had us round up villagers and has threatened to start killing them at noon if they do not turn the woman over to him."

Rodney took a moment to assimilate what he had heard and then said, "Atlantis is…fair, Sheppard is fair; if …you…help me get him…medical care, I will…help you."

Doulis sat down on the floor of the cell across from McKay, "I have one of my men rounding up others who feel like we do. We need to get help to stop this rampage that Strayer is on but it hinges on whether you can trust me enough to give me the gate address to Atlantis."

Taking a breath, Rodney replied, "You…bring someone who can…help him…and…I will give you…the address but not before…you show me that you…mean…what you say."

Standing up, Doulis said, "Fair enough, I will be back as soon as I can.

* * *

The 'rebel' villagers were waiting for them at the mill and after talking with them, they formulated a plan of attack. Two of the younger villagers that the guards knew well were going to walk up to the gateway pulling an old cart loaded with old bags of flour as if they were scheduled to take the flour off world for trade. They were hoping that if the boys could distract the guards, they could circle around and surprise them. Galer was right about the lack of cover; this could turn into a shooting match very quickly.

The villagers moved as close to the gate as they dared as the boys started down the long road toward the stargate. While there were few trees near the gate, the rolling terrain provide some cover as long as the villages stayed low to the ground. There were about fifteen guards instead of the normal three to four and Ronon who was closest to the gate saw activity when they first spotted the boys. Most of the guards were definitely watching the boys approaching with the cart, so Ronon motioned for the rest of the group to move forward.

A few more minutes passed and the boys were getting to the gate, Galer moved next to Ronon, "I think everyone is in place; Jerim and Pegra will come walking over that rise," he pointed to one of the higher rises in meadow that was opposite from where most of the villagers were hidden, "they will head for the gate once the boys have been there for a couple of minutes."

None of the guards raised their weapons as the boys and the cart reached the gate. Ronon watched as they chatted and laughed and seemed not to think that these young men were a threat. When Jerim and Pegra, who delivered supplies to the palace and knew the guards well, came over the rise, the guards didn't react any differently, they waved to both of the men and seemed quite relaxed. Chatting with the four villagers, the guards never noticed the rest of the villagers sneak up behind them.

* * *

Doulis returned to the cell about fifteen minutes later with a healer from Sotral who had been among those rounded up and brought to the palace. The healer took a quick look at Rodney before he checked on Sheppard. When he turned to Doulis, the expression on his face belied his anger, "What has been going on here? These men are badly hurt and I am not certain that I can save this man." He gestured toward Sheppard. "This is vile; your king has gone too far. If you expect me to even have a chance at saving him, you need to bring me lots of cool water, and clean cloths and send someone to my office in Sotral. I need several medicines; most are in my satchel but I will need ground voranden root which is in a jar on the shelf behind my desk. Hurry, we don't have much time."

McKay spoke, "You did...what I asked, I…will give you the address…but understand, you will not…be able to go…through the gate to…Atlantis. Best I write note and…then you attach to rock…and throw though gate. Bring me paper and a pen."

Doulis left to take care of the requests as the healer resumed his examination of Sheppard.

_**

* * *

**_

* * *

_Dreams_

_At exactly 10 o'clock, Prince Rodney entered the court followed by Lady Jennifer and Lady Isabella. He took his place on the dais, sitting in the ancient chair of the kingdom and the audience began. There was a long line of people who wished to speak to the prince on this morning and Isabella wondered how many of them actually were Davos' minions taking advantage to gain entry into the palace._

_She had an uneasy feeling that someone was watching her and looking around the room, she finally spotted Davos sitting in the upper gallery. He was a tall man, nearly as tall as John, but that was where any comparison between the two men ended. Henrig Davos was nearly bald and Isabella could only describe his eyes as a watery blue. He was not an unhandsome man but she had never found anything appealing about his pretentious, arrogant behavior._

_Sitting next to him was Teyla Emmagan, his consort and Isabella suspected his most ardent supporter. The copper-haired beauty had at one time been betrothed to Ronon but had tossed him aside when Davos began to pay attention to her. That occurred after the last time Isabella had refused Davos' attentions and she was certain that Davos targeted Teyla to hurt her by hurting Ronon. Both of these traitors to the realm needed to pay for their treachery._

_Davos was staring at her and that fact made her feel very uncomfortable. Isabella was finding it difficult to resist running into the upper gallery and demanding to know where her father was being held or if he was still alive. However, she had to trust that Ronon, and now John, would find her father. She tried to concentrate on what was happening around the prince, slipping her hand into the pocket of her skirt, she wrapped her fingers around the knife that Ronon had given her for protection when she was fifteen. Now she intended to use it to protect the prince if necessary._

_The court audience continued for nearly three hours before the last of the citizens had been spoken with and had taken their seats in the gallery. It was customary for the Prince to say a few words to the assembled before retiring to his chambers to have his mid-day meal and prepare for the afternoon court. As he rose to speak, Isabella heard the clank of the huge locks on the doors leading from the court engage and many of the people in the chamber raising weapons, including men and women she thought were allies of the prince. As she stepped closer to Rodney and Jennifer, she heard a voice above the chatter of the frightened citizens._

_"Quiet!" Davos rose from his seat and leaned on the balcony railing, "It is over, Prince Rodney; I am taking over your kingdom and you are under arrest. My men are rounding up those few that remain loyal to you and shortly this will all be over, but I dare say not without bloodshed. There are a few who deserve to die, like Sir Ronon, "he glanced at Teyla, who remained expressionless, "and a few others. Take our former ruler and the lovely Jennifer and Isabella to the royal chambers. I will be there shortly to claim everything that is rightfully mine." As he uttered those words, he was looking directly at Isabella. She curled her fingers around the knife that much tighter._

* * *

Doulis had returned with the writing tools and just as Rodney finished the note, with difficulty…writing was not easy with the severe injuries to his hands…the medical supplies arrived along with another healer and one of their assistants.

Rodney handed Doulis the note, "Just wrap it…around a rock…or…something and…lob…it through the gate. They'll know…it's from me."

The assistant then helped Rodney lay down and as he drifted off to sleep, he felt the soothing voice in his head telling him not to worry. For the first time, he thought they might just survive this.

* * *

Ronon gave the command, "Now," and the villagers emerged from their hiding places, weapons raised. A couple of the guards fired their weapons and one villager was wounded but the shooters were quickly stunned by Ronon's blaster and within minutes, it was over.

Ronon handed Teyla his IDC device, "Dial the gate and bring help. Galer go with her, you can help Lorne with the layout of the palace. We're gonna see if we can get to the palace in time to stop the executions."

Teyla nodded and headed for the DHD, dialing Atlantis. As the event horizon swooshed, Teyla looked back and saw that the guards were being tied up and Ronon was getting ready to leave. She sent the IDC signal and tossed the device back to Ronon; grabbing Galer by the arm, they disappeared into the gate.

Seconds later on Atlantis, "Unauthorized Off-world Activation; shield up." Sergeant Chuck Campbell's voice boomed across the control and gate room. Richard Woolsey ran from his office into the control room, noting the gate room Marine detail was already in defensive mode.

"Chuck, who is it?"

"Sir, we don't hav…its Ronon, sir." Chuck lowered the shield.

However they were both surprised when Teyla and Galer emerged from the gate. Woolsey summoned Lorne as he ran down the steps.

Teyla, what's happened?"

"We were taken prisoner by Sergeant Strayer; the colonel and Dr. McKay are gravely injured, they have been tortured, whipped. This is Galer; he is the leader of the rebellion against Strayer and can give Major Lorne intel on where Colonel Sheppard and McKay are being held. We need to hurry, the sergeant thinks he is a king and is planning on executing villagers until I am returned to him. We need to go back now."

Woolsey wasn't exactly following everything that Teyla was saying but one thing was clear, Sheppard and McKay were in trouble and lives were at stake, they had to move fast.

Ten minutes later, Woolsey, Dr. Keller, Major Lorne, Major Teldy, Dr. Keller, and Captain's Isaacs and Waters along with Galer were standing in the infirmary where Woolsey had insisted that Teyla go to be checked out. Kanaan was on a mission with SGA-14 but Amelia had brought Torren to her and he was now sitting on the bed next to her. Galer had just drawn Lorne a map of the small village where Strayer had set up his kingdom.

Lorne looked at his officers, "OK, I want three jumpers, three teams per jumper." He pointed to the map and told each officer where he wanted their jumpers when they arrived at Strayer's compound. Looking at Keller, "Doc, you will be in the fourth jumper waiting for our all clear so that you can tend to the colonel and Dr. McKay. OK, everyone; wheels up in ten minutes, let's go."

Teyla rose and Dr. Keller said, "Just where do you think you're going?"

"With you and do not argue." She kissed her son's forehead and handed him back to Amelia. Keller just shook her head and decided not to argue; Teyla's team was in danger and Keller had learned not to argue with any of Sheppard's team when any of them was in danger.

* * *

Ronon and the villagers were about to leave the gate to return to the palace when one of the villagers spotted a group of men coming down the lane. Quickly ordering everyone to take the guards and find a place to hide behind a tree or below a rise, Ronon waited at the DHD, ready to use it as cover if necessary.

There were four men in the group and Ronon recognized two of them as two of the people who kidnapped his team. He waited as they approached but they did not raise their weapons.

The tall man in front stopped about ten feet from Ronon. "You, you are the one who rescued the woman. Maret here tells me you are the Atlantian who the king did not wish to have captured. I feel that he may have made a mistake but a fortunate one for us. Since there are no palace guards here, I suspect you have dispatched them."

Ronon continued to glare at them, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I am Harnis, I am a former slave freed by King Leonard and who joined him to free other slaves not to take prisoners or kill innocents." He held up a smooth round rock in his hand and had a piece of paper tied around it. "Doulis, who has been the king's chief of staff, has also realized that the king is out of control. He made a deal with one of the Atlantians to give safe harbor to those of us who help put an end to this situation. We have the gate address for Atlantis and a note to send."

Ronon put out his hand and Harnis gave him the rock. Peeling the note away, Ronon read McKay's scribble, thankful that Teyla had made him learn to read the Earther's language. He smiled and motioned to the rest of the villagers to join them. Then he asked for a writing tool and someone handed him a pen. He scribbled something on the note, dialed Atlantis, sent his IDC signal, and threw the rock through the gate.

He looked back at Harnis and said, "Let's go end this."

* * *

The rock sailed through the gate and a quick Marine pulled it from the air, handing it to the duty team leader and she quickly read it and tapped her COM, "Mr. Woolsey, Major Lorne, I have a note from Dr. McKay that just came through the gate.

Lorne answered her as he was entering the lead jumper, "Read it, lieutenant."

"Sir, it says, 'Both alive but Sheppard bad. Strayer here but crazy, thinks he's king. Going to kill villagers, Doulis helping us, got doc for col., need to get here fast. It's me…check with Radek…told him not to do test on device from P…' sorry, I can't read these numbers; think it says 864 then, 'come now.' Sorry sir, writing is really shaky and hard to read. But there is other handwriting…can just make out… 'On way to palace, hurry. Ronon.'"

Radek who was in the control room confirmed that the note had to be from Rodney. Woolsey gave a go to the mission, Chuck dialed the gate and the alarm sounded to clear the gate area. One by one the four jumpers dropped from the bay and disappeared through the gate. Quiet descended on the gate and control rooms; all they could do now was to wait for the teams to return.

_**

* * *

**_

* * *

_**Dreams**_

_Prince Rodney, Lady Jennifer and Lady Isabella were moved into the prince's chambers, where they waited nearly fifteen minutes before Davos entered with Teyla and two guards. Davos walked to the large chair that Rodney's father had favored but he rarely used._

_"Ah…the King's chair, how nice that you are not sitting in it since you no longer have any need for it." He sat down for a moment and Teyla walked to his side. However, Davos was more interested in something or rather someone else, his gaze never leaving Isabella._

_"The lovely Isabella…you should have never rebuked me. Now, I am in control and I can have anyone you care about dispatched on a whim. The prince; your childhood friend, the Lady Jennifer; or perhaps your father, who is 'resting comfortably' in a cell in the tower at this moment. I think you know what your fate is but you can determine the fate of let's see…how about the Lady Jennifer." With a nod of his head, the guards grabbed Jennifer and brought her to Davos. Rodney attempted to stop them but one of the guards struck him and he fell to the floor._

_Teyla walked up to Jennifer and smiled an evil smile. "Actually, my lord, I was hoping you would allow me to take care of the Lady Jennifer. Payback for what her brother did to me." Teyla's eyebrow arched and Isabella thought she had never seen a more evil look on anyone's face._

_"Oh, do not worry my dear Teyla, you can do the deed but only if Lady Isabella fails to beg for my mercy. However, there is only one way, to gain my mercy," he walked over to Isabella and lifted her chin so that he could look her in the eye, "and she knows what that is."_


	7. Chapter 7 Home

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Chapter Seven 4490

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Another Life**

_By stella_pegasi_

**Chapter Seven: Home**

It was approaching noon and Strayer walked from his house to the square, surrounding by guards. As he reached the area where the villagers were being held, his excitement began to rise; he wasn't certain when he started being excited about hurting people but he was looking forward to the possibility of executing someone today. Then maybe he would kill McKay just for the thrill of it…no, Sheppard was near death, he'd kill Sheppard in front of McKay and he wanted to kill both of them in front of Teyla when he got her back. So that meant, he needed to get Teyla back; then he could kill them all.

He saw Doulis standing next to the wooden platform and he motioned his chief of staff to come to him.

"Sire, what is your wish?" Doulis asked.

"My wish is to have three of the prisoners tied to the poles, now. Let me see, which one of these traitors do I wish to die first." He turned to the crowd and pointed to a young man, an old women and a small boy. Them, take them." He motioned to the guards and they dragged the three to the platform and tied them to the poles.

Doulis looked at Strayer, "Sire, do you think it is wise that we harm these people; we do not even know if the woman is still in the area, she may have taken off for a remote village."

Doulis had never seen the king look at him with the venom that he did at that moment, "Are you going soft on me Doulis? You really don't think that Teyla would leave Sheppard here do you. I suspect Teyla will show up on her own to trade herself for these people. Now, it's getting close to noon; let's go teach these people a lesson."

Strayer walked away toward the platform and Doulis knew that dealing with these people from his past had sent this man that he had once admired over the edge. He had to be stopped but he could not do anything until Harnis returned. He hoped Harnis had been able to reach Atlantis or this was going to be a very short coup.

Unknown to Doulis, three cloaked jumpers hovered in the sky above him, waiting to act until they spotted Ronon. Major Lorne, standing in the cockpit of the lead jumper, was looking through binoculars, searching for Ronon in the crowd of people in the square, "Lt. Salem, pivot the jumper around; maybe he's further out near the edge of the city.

"Got him," he tapped his COM. "Heads up everyone, Ronon is on the move, he and about twenty-five men are moving around the perimeter. Wait, some are fanning out and moving toward the square. Stay sharp, we move on my mark." He turned to Salem, "Don't lose Ronon," the lieutenant nodded.

Ronon was pretty certain that Lorne had to be around somewhere so he was going go under the assumption that somebody had his back. He and Harnis were standing near the opposite side of the platform from Strayer and could see Doulis.

Harnis glanced at Ronon, "I need to let Doulis know that we are in place and that Atlantis is here; that fool is going to kill those people if we don't stop him." Ronon nodded and Harnis headed for Doulis.

Strayer was now on the platform and had been handed the whip. He walked back and forth in front of the three terrified villagers, smiling at them. Many of the other prisoners were yelling at him to let the three go and begging the guards to stop the king. Strayer laughed as he turned and looked at the prisoners. He cracked the whip and silence fell over the crowd; only the whimpering of the child could be heard.

"My subjects, I am sorry that it has come to this but you must understand that I am the law here; you will obey me. I asked you to turn over the woman, Teyla Emmagan, to me but you have refused. I have given you adequate time yet you still have not return her to me and brought me the man who stole her from me. For that, you have caused these three innocent people to die. It brings me no great pleasure to kill them but I must, you must learn the lesson. I am to be obeyed. Now suffer the consequences." His voice had become darker and deeper as he spoke and his expression had turned into that of a madman's.

Turning to the three frightened souls, Strayer raised his arm ready to strike one of them. As he brought the whip down, Doulis grabbed his wrist. "No, you will not kill anyone today."

Strayer was much younger and stronger than Doulis but the older man's determination didn't waiver. "I don't know what has happened to you but you are insane. What are you thinking? Killing these people will not solve anything; it will only make things worse. I won't let you do it."

Doulis still had Strayer's wrist gripped tightly but Strayer pulled his leg up quickly and slammed the smaller man in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of him. While Doulis was doubled over, his 'sire' struck him with the whip and Doulis fell to the platform, rolling off the edge onto the ground where he lay motionless.

Strayer was livid, "How dare any of you interfere in your King's business. You will all pay." He raised the whip again to strike the helpless villagers when he was interrupted by a deep voice.

"No, you are going to pay." Turning, Strayer saw a very tall man with long strands of hair walking up the steps of the platform.

"You think you are going to stop me. My guards will stop you and you will pay."

Harnis followed Ronon onto the platform, "Your guards are not going to save you, they see you for what you have become, an insane man with delusions of importance. We were willing to follow you if it meant freeing others who had been taken by slavers but now, you are the slaver. It stops here."

Ronon moved toward him intending on taking the whip away. "Sergeant Strayer, it's over, put the whip down and we will take you back to Atlantis." As he said that, the three jumpers that were hovering over the village decloaked. "There is no where to run, we can get you help."

Strayer was confused and cornered but he knew there was one thing he had to do; jumping off the back edge of the platform he raced inside the prison. He had to kill Sheppard.

* * *

_**Dreams**_

Prince Rodney pulled himself up from the floor, "Davos, don't do this, let the women go, your fight is with me."

Davos grabbed Isabella's arm and pulled her close to him, his arm surrounding her, "I am so impressed, Prince Rodney, I didn't think you had a backbone. It doesn't matter though, for you see, the fate of these two lovely ladies rest solely in the hands of Isabella. She either agrees to what I want or her friend dies; then you die, then she dies but only after I have taken what I want from her. So you all live and she's with me or you all die but I will have her either way."

He spun Isabella around and asked her, "So what will it be my pretty, do I let Teyla kill the Lady Jennifer now or will you be an obedient subject to your new king?"

Isabella glanced at Jennifer, seeing tears streaming down her face; she couldn't let her friend die. "I believe you said it already, Davos, you are going to have your way regardless. It is in my best interest not to fight you, for I cannot win."

He smiled at her, "Yes, I always knew I would have you." He said to Teyla, "Keep an eye on them; I'll be back to let you know if she performed well enough to save their lives." He picked Isabella up and flung her across his shoulder and walked toward the door. The last thing Isabella heard was Jennifer crying for her not to do this but Isabella knew better, she had to do this.

As the door closed behind them, Teyla looked at Jennifer, "It must be nice to have such a friend who is willing to sacrifice herself to save you and your Prince."

Jennifer was past caring, she knew that she and Rodney were going to die anyway, so she had nothing to lose. "The difference, Teyla, is that I have friends. You gave that up when you left my brother for a monster like Davos. Regardless of what happens to us, you will pay for this."

Teyla leaned in close and whispered, "Not all is as it appears."

Teyla had the guards sit Prince Rodney and Jennifer in chairs next to the window and she began to pace, looking at the clock on the wall. She then walked over to one of the guards and began talking to him.

Rodney took advantage of her distraction, "Jenny, are you alright?"

She smiled as she looked at him, his eyes were full of love for her and she loved him just as much. "I am fine, my prince, but you know Davos is not going to allow us to live."

Prince Rodney gave her a little boyish smile, "That's why I contacted John; he won't let us die." She smiled back at him but she didn't hold the same faith in John Sheppard as he did.

The door opened and one of Davos' men stormed it, "Where is he? We need him; they were better organized than we knew. The fighting is close, the Prince's men are heading this way and they are winning. I need to inform Davos; he may need to flee the palace."

Teyla calmly told the guard, "Davos is not to be disturbed by you; I will go tell him. Now go and defend your king." The man nodded and left.

"Things not going so well, Teyla?" Rodney asked.

"I believe events are going exactly the way they are supposed to, Prince Rodney."

Rodney and Jennifer exchanged glances both deciding that something was not right; Rodney was about to question Teyla when the door burst open again and Sir Ronon Dex, Chief of the Guards Lorne, and Lord John Sheppard entered the room. They were disheveled, both John and Ronon holding knives covered in blood.

Teyla drew her knife, plunging it into the chest of one of Davos' guards; the other was stabbed by Ronon. Teyla's smile was wide as she ran to Ronon and threw her arms around him and then kissed him.

Sheppard ran over to Rodney and Jennifer, "Are you alright?"

Rodney shook his head yes and asked, "What's going on with Ronon and Teyla?"

Sheppard smiled, "Oh that; well, their spat was a fake. They needed someone on the inside and Teyla volunteered." It was that moment when Sheppard went cold inside; Isabella was not in the room.

"Where is she? Rodney, where is she?"

"Davos took her about ten minutes ago; probably to the king's chambers, middle stairway, third floor, double-doors to the left at the end of the hall."

John Sheppard ran out the door.

* * *

Strayer entered the prison, running as fast as he could across the first level to the stairs in the far corner. He was vaguely aware of someone yelling his name but he had only one purpose in mind. He was going to kill John Sheppard.

Ronon had jumped from the platform and was in pursuit of the crazed Marine. He was certain that Sheppard was in no condition to defend himself; he had to stop Strayer.

Strayer nearly stumbled as he took the stairs to the lower level two steps at a time. The cell holding the Atlantian's was near the end of the corridor and Strayer could see three people inside. He reached the open cell door and stabbed the healer's assistant who was standing closest to him. Waving the knife at the two healers, he yelled at them, "Move away. Too late to heal him, he's going to die."

Strayer bent over the unconscious colonel and raised his knife, ready to plunge it into Sheppard's chest. "Goodbye and good riddance, pretty boy." He brought his hand down but before the knife hit Sheppard's chest, Strayer felt pressure against his back. Looking down he saw the tip of a sword protruding from his chest. However, Ronon's fatal blow did not stop the momentum of Strayer's arm and his knife plunged into Sheppard's chest.

Strayer turned his head to look at Ronon, his eyes fading, blood spilling out of his mouth and nose and he uttered, "I only wanted another life; I hated the one I had." He slumped sideways over Sheppard's body.

Ronon pulled Strayer away from Sheppard and felt the colonel's neck for a pulse, he took a breath when he found a faint, irregular beat but at least there was one. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see Lorne running up to the cell.

Lorne took one look at the situation and tapped his COM, "Get Keller in here STAT."

_

* * *

Richard Woolsey wondered if there was ever a time when Atlantis was this somber. He suspected that when they lost Carson Beckett and Elizabeth Weir, the base had been this quiet but somehow he doubted it. This time John Sheppard was the subject of their concern._

Dr. Ross Warren, the new base psychologist, decided to stay in the infirmary waiting room. There were too many distraught people waiting for word on Colonel Sheppard's condition and this way he could try to calm several of them at once, not just one at a time. Scientist or technician, military officer or grunt, it didn't matter; one by one they were drifting to the infirmary for news of their CO.

Through the Ancient doors inside the infirmary's trauma bay, Ronon sat between Sheppard and McKay's bed in the intensive care unit. Teyla was lying in the bed across the aisle, she was not critical but Keller knew better than to put her anywhere else.

Dr. Carson Beckett sat next to Sheppard's bed, his arms folded on the edge of the mattress, his head resting on his arms, sleeping for the first time in thirty-six hours. Keller had called him back from one of his free clinics not only for his exceptional medical skills but also because his presence seemed to make everyone feel better, especially her.

Woolsey walked in and squeezed Ronon's shoulder as he walked past him to talk to Keller who was sitting next to Rodney's bed. "Any change?" He asked, looking over at Sheppard.

"No, I suppose it's good we haven't lost any ground today but we lost enough yesterday to make that a pretty hollow victory." The colonel had coded twice on them during the first twenty-four hours since their return and at the moment, his cardiac condition was anything but stable.

"Even if he makes it, Colonel Sheppard will need months of physical therapy and plastic surgery. The cuts from the whip flayed his skin and he is going to need numerous skin grafts and plastic surgery to repair the scarring. His skin and muscle tissue is very fragile right now and he simply bruised to the bone. John has lost a lot of blood; he certainly didn't need a knife wound on top of everything else. Thank goodness the knife didn't penetrate as deeply as it could have or we wouldn't be having this conversation; still a lacerated liver is not a good mix with everything else." She rubbed her eyes, "Not to mention the rampant infections, the dehydration, the severe sunburn, it is all more than one person can bear."

"This is John Sheppard we are talking about, doctor."

"Yes, I know but this time being John Sheppard might not be enough. We are not equipped to take of him here or take care of Rodney for that matter. They are both going to have to go to Earth for treatment and recuperation." Tears were spilling down her face, "I believe their time on Atlantis is over, at least for a very long time."

Jennifer was watching Sheppard's monitor closely, "There it goes again."

Woolsey raised an eyebrow, "There goes what?

"His brain waves are acting really peculiar; there are times when the colonel's brain wave pattern resembles that of a coma patient and other times when he's in REM stage, his brain nearly as active as someone who is alert and oriented. It's just peculiar."

* * *

"John, hold on just a bit longer, I am here with you, helping you breath, helping your heart beat. You must trust me."

Another voice floated into the colonel's brain, "You, you are one of them. Why are you here?"

"I am here to help him. I did not think that I could talk to you but he is the conduit that we can perceive each other through."

"Yes, I speak to him often but I cannot do the things for him that you can. I am only an artificial intelligence but you, you are real. You can make him whole."

"I am trying but they are resistant."

"You must help him, both of them. I need them, the others need them. I need him. Besides you know why he must be saved."

"Yes, Atlantis, I do know. I helped him dream during his ordeal and he has been dreaming of her but she is not here yet."

"No, she is not."

"Understand this Atlantis; I can only help him, help them, if I am allowed. We do not interfere with the course of humans."

"You must help them…he is our only hope and the other one needs to be by his side. They both need to be here when she arrives."

"I know, Atlantis; I will do what I can."

* * *

_**Dreams**_

_Henrig Davos carried Lady Isabella to the king's chambers on the third floor and tossed her on her back onto the large bed located in the sleeping chamber._

"Finally, after all of your rebukes, I will have you. I have waited for this day for a very long time." He was standing next to a dresser where he laid his weapons and had begun to remove his belt and outer shirt. Walking back to the bed, he knelt over top of her, pinning her legs.

"Now, let me see you." He grabbed the clasp of her dress which was at her waist and pulled the dress apart, exposing her body, covered only by a sheer chemise. "Ah…as beautiful as I had envisioned; I am going to enjoy this."

He bent down, intending to kiss her but he hadn't noticed her right hand in the pocket of her dress. As he leaned toward her, she brought the small knife up and sliced his face from forehead to chin.

Davos jumped off the bed, grabbing his face, blood pouring down his neck and torso. "You harlot, who do you think you are. You will pay for this, you will die and so will your friends. I will line them up and kill them one by one before I kill you but first, you pay with your body." He reached for his own knife that was lying on the dresser.

She was sitting in the center of the bed on her knees, the small knife in her hand, "Come on, Davos. You aren't half the man you think you are and you are not man enough for me."

"Not man enough for you? And who is man enough for you?" He started to advance toward her.

"I am."

Davos turned at the sound of the deep, husky voice and saw John Sheppard standing in the doorway. Sheppard's eyes were coals of fire, he had no intention of allowing Davos to live.

"Who are you?" Davos was livid at the intrusion but there was fear in his eyes, he realized that this man before him was dangerous. However, he was not going to let anyone take his prize away from him. Knife low in his left hand, he lunged at Sheppard.

Sheppard grabbed Davos' right hand and plunged his knife into man's gut. Looking into Davos' eyes as he ripped the knife up into his chest, Sheppard whispered to him, "No one touches her but me." At that moment, he felt the blade in Davos' left hand enter his side.

Davos slid to the floor and Sheppard looked at Isabella, he wanted to say something to her but he couldn't get the words out. Blood was flowing from the wound in his side and the last thing he remembered as he lost consciousness was Isabella calling his name.

* * *

Rodney was awake and on enough pain medication to be alert but not in pain. He found he couldn't keep his eyes off of his friend when he was awake; the brave, handsome colonel lying in the bed next to him resembled shredded meat more than a human being. Glancing at the foot of the bed, he saw Ronon, leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at Sheppard as well.

"How is he?" Rodney asked.

Ronon shook his head, "No different but he's been muttering a word, can't quite make it out. Dr. Keller isn't sure what's going on with his brain. She doesn't know if that means he's trying to come out of the coma or not." Ronon looked dejected. "I hear you and Sheppard are going back to Earth tomorrow if he's stable enough. They won't let us go but at least you'll be together."

Rodney didn't know what to say to this big man who rarely showed his emotions but right now, Ronon's emotions were raw and on display. "Ronon, he'll get better and we'll come back. I promise." Both men were silent for a moment, looking at each other; they didn't need words.

It was then they heard John, he was mumbling and they couldn't make out the words. Rodney said, "Ronon, get Jennifer."

Ronon took off and Rodney struggled to sit up. Sheppard was talking but to who?

_

* * *

_

"John, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can; where are you?"

_  
"Currently only in your thoughts along with a very concerned Atlantis but shortly, I will stand before you. The Ascended have given us permission to help you and your friend. Do not be afraid, it is not your time."_

Sheppard felt one entity leave his mind but he realized that Atlantis was still there.

"Hey, lady."  
_  
"It is good to communicate with you, colonel. The one who just left your thoughts will take care of you so that you will be with us. You must be with us when she comes."_He asked, "Atlantis, I don't understand, when who comes?", but Atlantis had withdrawn.

* * *

_  
_  
Ronon returned with Keller, Beckett, and Warren just as the light began to glow. Within seconds a pure white light filled the trauma bay, awaking Teyla who left her bed to stand next to Ronon. As the light became brighter, the outline of bodies could be seen and then the light coalesced into two familiar forms, the ascended Teer and Hedda.

Teer smiled, "Hello, I am Teer, please do not be alarmed, we are here to help. I recognize some of you from our encounter in the Cloister."

Teyla spoke, "You, how can you help? The ascended Ancients have refused to help anyone before."

"That is correct but that was before the defeat of the Ori. Now, the Ascended take a slightly different view; let us just say that some can be persuaded to contemplate adifferent path. Understand, it was difficult to convince them to allow us to come here but they know that Atlantis needs these two men for what lies ahead. We were given permission to help them."

Richard Woolsey, who had been called to the infirmary by Keller asked, "How do you intend on helping them?"

Rodney smiled at Hedda, who had returned to them they way they knew her, as a small child; she was holding Sheppard's hand, "Just watch Woolsey, Hedda will show you."

Hedda walked to Rodney first, "First, Dr. McKay, I will heal you." She pressed him back against the pillows and placed her small hands above his chest, smiling at him. Soon a golden glow emanated from her hands and washed across McKay's body and slowly his wounds disappeared leaving only untouched healthy tissue. A warm open smile filled her youthful face but her eyes were full of wisdom.

She ran over to Teyla and then Ronon making quick work of healing their wounds. Then Hedda returned to Teer's side. Teer spoke, "John is very near death, I have been keeping him alive until we were given permission to come here. His wounds are grave and both Hedda and I must work together to heal him. But I promise you, we will give John Sheppard back to you."

Standing side by side, Teer and Hedda placed their hands over Sheppard's chest, their faces masks of concentration and soon the glow from their hands surrounded the colonel's body as well as their own. Minutes passed and the Atlantians watched, holding their breath as they waited.

The golden glow slowly became the pure bright white light again and as the white light faded, only John Sheppard was left. His wounds had disappeared and he was the John Sheppard that they knew so well, crazy dark hair and all.

_

* * *

Sheppard was beginning to awaken; he could feel warmth permeating his body and strength returning. He felt her brush his mind once more but this time, he realized it was Teer._

_  
"Yes, John, it is Teer and Hedda is with me. The Ascended gave us permission to come and heal you and your teammates. I must leave you now but know this, once I thought your path lay along mine but I now know that this is the moment where our paths led. There is much more for you; you are very special and the fate of all of us lies with you. But you will not be alone, she will be with you."_

"She? Teer, who is she?"

_"You have met her in your dream. Your dream was of your own creation but I gave her to you; that much I could do for you. She is your destiny, John and she is coming to you soon. We will be watching over you."_Sheppard felt her presence fade away and he could feel Atlantis, as always, prodding him awake. As Keller and Beckett moved to the bedside, amazed at the normal readings on the monitors, Sheppard opened his eyes.


	8. Epilogue

**Title: ****Another Life**

**Author: **stella_pegasi

**Rating: **T

**Words: **Epilogue 2096

**Genre: **Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure; partial AU (embedded in main story)

**Spoilers: **None

**Warnings:** Graphic violence, torture, some sexually suggestive but not graphic scenes, suggestion of non-con.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, occasional characters, original characters.

**Summary:** Sheppard leads his team on a search for a Marine missing for five years but SGA-1 only finds trouble. With Sheppard gravely injured, a familiar voice speaks to him and tells him not to worry; all will be well. But will he survive?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Another Life**

By stella_pegasi

**EPILOGUE**

It had been twenty-four hours since Teer and Hedda had healed Sheppard, McKay and Teyla, and Ronon. Rodney had snuck out to his lab only to be caught and brought back to the infirmary by an angry Dr. Keller who still didn't trust the ascended beings or her monitors. She wanted to keep an eye on them. Sheppard decided he was perfectly happy lying in the infirmary bed despite being extremely healthy. That Sheppard seemed to have no desire to escape the infirmary was more disturbing to Keller than anything else.

The fact was that Sheppard wanted to know the ending of the adventure he had dreamed about during the ordeal and he was afraid that if he resumed his normal duties he would lose the possibility. He was disappointed that the dreams had ended but more intrigued than ever by the cryptic comments from both Teer and Atlantis about the lovely Isabella.

What was it Teer said, _I gave her to you, she is your destiny; she is coming to you soon?_ Sheppard had no idea what that meant but he did know that if the woman he was supposedly destined to meet was as enticing as the Isabella of his dreams, then he was looking forward to meeting her. As he thought about her, he became drowsy and as he drifted off to sleep, he thought he heard a voice telling him not to worry, he would know.

* * *

_**Dreams**_

He woke slowly, warm from the cocoon of blankets that surrounded him. As he opened his eyes, he saw the rough wooden ceiling and smiled, he was in the farmhouse. He looked around the room expecting to see Merry but he was alone.

The last thing he remembered was entering the chamber where Davos had taken Isabella. He would never forget the sight of Isabella, bloody knife in hand, challenging Davos. Her desire to protect her friends and her bravery to stand up to her enemies filled his heart with pride; she was special and he loved her.

Then John remembered he'd been stabbed by Davos after he had stabbed the traitor. He ran his hand down his side and found a bandage wrapped around his right side. "Way to go, John", he said to himself. He needed to find Isabella; he pulled the covers back and using the table next to the bed he stood up, waited for the room to stop spinning and then walked toward the door.

He opened the bedroom door as quietly as he could and walked into the large main room. A strong fire was burning in the fireplace and the aroma from whatever was simmering on the stove made him realize he was hungry. There were lamps on in the room so he suspected it was dark outside. However, his attention was drawn to the small figure standing before the fire.

She was dressed in a dark blue robe, her hair pulled back in a ribbon. Holding a mug in her hands, she was staring into the fire.

"Bella," he said quietly.

She gasped, nearly dropping the mug as she heard his voice. "John, you're awake; you should have called for me. You shouldn't be out of bed." She quickly moved to his side, grabbing his arm to support him. "Come, sit down on the couch." He let her lead him to the couch and help him sit down. She knelt down in front of him, smoothing a blanket that she had taken from the back of the couch across his legs.

Rising, she asked, "Are you in pain?"

"No, just a little stiff."

"You were lucky, Davos' knife caught your side at an angle and while the bleeding was bad, the wound was not as serious as it appeared. Sir Carson patched you up and we brought you back here to recuperate. Prince Rodney wanted us to remain at the palace but I…I thought you might be more comfortable here. Are you hungry? There is soup warming on the stove, let me get you a bowl." She started to move away but he grabbed her right forearm and pulled her down onto the couch next to him.

"Soup later, right now, I need you." He pulled her close, tilting her head back and covering her lips with his. He teased her, nibbling at her lower lip, as she did the same to him. But the need to have her was strong and he deepened the kiss, taking possession of her mouth. When he finally pulled away, she moaned and tried to continue the kiss. He whispered in her ear, "Don't worry Bella, I plan on kissing you again, but tell me what happened at the palace after I found you."

She took a breath, composing herself, "The coup was not successful as you know, and most of the traitor's have been arrested, many were a surprise. John, I do not know how to tell you this but your father…" John placed a finger on her lips to stop her.

"I know, my father was one of the people who organized the coup. Ronon and I found him and some of the other traitors in the administrator's chambers. He was, shall I say, adamant that they were doing the right thing."

"I am sorry, John."

"Don't be, it's what I expected of him. What about your father?

"My father is safe and is now helping Prince Rodney with clearing the government of those who would do it harm. Ronon and Teyla are helping as well. I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that she was working covertly and that she and Ronon had never really been fighting. Believe me, they were quite convincing. Now, let me at least get you some tea."

She slipped away but continued to talk. "Teyla has become quite the heroine; what she did to help thwart the coup was very brave; she worked inside Davos' camp securing people to help us. Ronon is very proud. And you, your exploits during the coup attempt are becoming legendary already. What were you thinking when you took on five of Davos' men at once? However, Ronon said you dispatched them quickly saving his life as a result."

She returned with the tea which she handed to him and then she sat on the low table in front of the couch. "John, I am proud of you and I do not think that we could have stopped them without you. Prince Rodney wants you back in the palace; I suspect he has a role for you, if you want it that is." She dropped her head, afraid to look up at him.

"_Ronon is not certain that you will want to stay, he said you left before and perhaps your path lies elsewhere with another life." She raised her head to look at him and her dark green eyes were bright with tears, "Do you wish to stay here or do you wish to leave?"_

"What do you want me to do?" his voice husky and his gaze intense as he looked into her eyes.

"What I want doesn't matter, it is what y…" She stopped as he shook his head and spoke.

"No, the only thing that matters is what you want."

She held his gaze for a few seconds. "I don't want you to leave. I need you. I love you."

He smiled, sat his tea mug on the table, and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. "I told you I planned on kissing you again, and again, and again. I suspect it will take me the rest of my life before I tire of kissing you, my lovely Isabella. So I am not going anywhere; I need you and I love you." He looked into her eyes still bright with tears but filled with joy and then kissed her.

* * *

"Sheppard, Sheppard, wake up."

Sheppard's eyes popped open to see Rodney standing over him, "What the hell…Rodney."

"Same thing I was going to ask you. Here put these on," he handed Sheppard his BDU's and tossed the colonel's boots onto the floor next to the bed.

Sheppard was trying to wake up but he did what Rodney said and within a couple of minutes they outside the infirmary heading toward a transporter. Rodney finally slowed down when the reach a building on the southwest pier and walked onto a large balcony that over looked the central section of Atlantis. It was night and the dark sky was twinkling with stars, the twin moons rising and the sound of the waves soothing.

"Rodney?"

"Had to get out of there Sheppard; I needed to breath. Besides, you were talking in your sleep and it was getting aggravating. Who the hell is Bella?"

Sheppard froze, "What are you talking about?"

"Look, a couple of times while we were in that disgusting cell and you were out of it, you mentioned that word, I didn't really understand you the first time or two but the last three times I have heard it, it is clearly Bella…a name, a girl's name."

Sheppard laughed and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "No not a girl, Rodney, a woman and an amazing woman at that."

Rodney just looked at him.

"Teer gave me the ability to dream to keep me alive during the time we were being tortured. She told me later that the dream was of my making and everyone in the dream was someone I know or have come across since we've been here; everyone but Bella, Isabella. Teer brought her to my dream and said told me that my destiny and that of all of us lies along Bella's path."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Sheppard dropped his head, "I don't know, Rodney. All I know is that she seemed very real and I am hoping she is; I would very much like to meet her. It feels like I lived another life during that dream." He looked at Rodney, "Did you ever sense anything one in your head while we were on the planet? Teer said they would protect you."

Rodney was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, come to think of it. When Strayer was going to whip me, I would feel a calm descend over me and somehow I got through the pain. That was Teer?"

"I think so. Do you know what's going on with Galer and Doulis and the others?"

Rodney nodded, "Yeah, turns out Harnis is from a really prominent family on PXN-538 and he offered to take Doulis with him when he returned home. Harnis wants to continue trying to free slaves and Woolsey offered him Atlantis' support. Most of the rest of the men and women who stayed with Strayer have returned to their homes."

Sheppard stared at the ocean, "Strayer?"

"His body is here waiting to be returned to Earth but Woolsey wants to talk to you about what you want to tell the family." Sheppard just nodded and Rodney continued.

"Ronon and Teyla went back to the village to check on the woman, Benera, who told Ronon where to find her. Benera was beaten badly by Strayer; he thought she let Ronon in, they took Carson with them to check on her."

"So things are getting back to normal?" Sheppard stretched out his long legs and then pulled them to his chest, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"As normal as things are around here. Sheppard, was this worth it? I mean, we could have all died."

"Yeah, we could have, but we didn't. We found Strayer and though the ending isn't what I had hoped for there is closure for his family; we ended oppression on that planet and got those former slaves back home. All in all, not too bad."

Rodney stood up, "Yeah, and you got to play with ascended women, again. What's up with that?"

"It's all in the genes, Dr. McKay."

"Funny, fly-boy; come on, I'm hungry. If we're lucky we can get to the mess hall before Jennifer realizes we're missing."

"Lead the way, McKay." Sheppard smiled at his little rhyme but Rodney just glared at him.

Yeah, Sheppard thought as they got on the transporter, no matter how difficult this ordeal had been, he at least knew that he and his friends and Atlantis were meant to be together. He did decide not to tell Rodney he had been a prince in his dream. He would never hear the end of it.

_Fin…_

Following is the prompt for this story…sterenyk_strey likes our boy beaten up.

**Easter 2010 Fanfiction Exchange Prompt:**

**For sterenyk_strey**  
**Character(s) I want in the fic: **Sheppy! Any other canon or OC is fine by me, but my boy has to be the main focus  
**My likes: dungeons, torture, Shep whumped in front of his team, drippy blood, a nice, juicy flogging, more whump than comfort, team luff, AU  
My squicks: deathfic, hopeless ending, maiming, no eyeball whump or digit whump or hair whump! Vegas/TMC eppies... meep... Crossovers. Slash - mostly because many writers turn Sheppy into a wimp.  
My request: Shep whump. Relentless. Mild whump for rest of team is okayish but meh. More whump than comfort. AU - great. Give my boy wings/make him speshul if poss, but no biggie if he's just your average, run-of-the-mill ATA gene bearer. LOL**Ok, I love to write and I got a bit carried away during this story. I had wanted to write something about a new character with lots of intrigue for the future of Atlantis and the expedition so I thought this prompt set that storyline up.

Author's Notes:

With the request for some serious whumpage, I knew that there wouldn't be a lot of dialogue interaction with Sheppard just a lot of beating him up and worry about him, so I decided since sterenyk_strey also mentioned an interest in AU, that I would included an AU dream inside the story that gave Sheppard a speaking role and a little bit of romance but also worked into the story line.  
**  
**I hope you enjoyed.


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